New court setback for Allofmp3.com
London, 26th October 2006
A Danish court has delivered a fresh blow to illegal music website allofmp3.com in a ruling that will make it harder for users to access the site. The actions come in the wake of the news that Visa has removed its services from allofmp3.com and follows on from a court ruling against it in Germany and separate legal proceedings in several countries including Russia, Italy and the UK.
Allofmp3.com has been condemned by bodies representing rights owners worldwide, including record companies, authors and composers and music publishers. It sells and distributes copies of hundreds of thousands of songs by international and local artists without any permission to do so.
Allofmp3.com claims to be licensed by a Russian-based society ROMS, but ROMS has no mandate from international rights owners to license the site in or outside Russia and under the copyright laws of virtually every country in the world, including Russia, it is illegal to distribute recordings without the permission of the rights owners.
The Danish court yesterday ordered the internet provider Tele2 to block its subscribers' access to the illegal Russian music service.
John Kennedy, chairman and chief executive of IFPI, which represents the recording industry worldwide, said: "This judgment is one more step along the road to getting this rogue site closed down. Allofmp3.com illegally offers for sale copies of music that it has no right to reproduce or distribute. It provides unfair competition to the nearly 400 legal sites worldwide that respect the rights of composers, artists and record producers."
The case was filed in the enforcement court of the Copenhagen City Court on 13th July 2006 by IFPI Denmark, representing the Danish recording industry. The order sides unconditionally with IFPI Denmark and directs Tele2 to stop its subscribers' access to allofmp3.com.
"We warmly welcome the enforcement courts' decision", says Jens-Otto Paludan, chairman of IFPI Denmark and managing of Universal Music Denmark. "This decision eliminates any doubt that people may have about the illegality of allofmp3.com.
"AllofMP3 is an illegal service, which cheats artists and producers of millions of kroner every year. With this judicial decision we can, at last, bring one of the most provoking pirate services' activities in this country to an efficient standstill."
Facts on Allofmp3.com:
- Allofmp3.com is a Russian-based music website that sells copies of music tracks that it does not have the rights to reproduce or distribute
- For that reason allofmp3com is illegal under Danish, Russian and international copyright law. Criminal proceedings are being pursued by prosecutors in Moscow against the former managing director of the service
- Allofmp3.com claims to have an agreement with a Russian copyright organisation, ROMS. No IFPI member record companies have mandated ROMS to license the sale of their music via the internet either in Russia or anywhere else. Indeed, ROMS has been expelled from the international copyright confederation CISAC
- Recently, the international credit card company Visa decided to cease handling payments for the purchase of music on allofmp3.com
- Considering the alleged popularity of the service and the large repertoire that it offers, the damage caused by allofmp3.com to the Danish music industry alone is estimated at millions of kroner
Notes to editors:
About IFPI
IFPI is the organisation that promotes the interests of the international recording industry worldwide. Its membership comprises over 1400 major and independent companies in more than 70 countries. It also has affiliated industry national groups in 48 countries. IFPI's mission is to fight music piracy; promote fair market access and good copyright laws; help develop the legal conditions and the technologies for the recording industry to prosper in the digital era; and to promote the value of music.
For further information please contact Alex Jacob or Adrian Strain
+44 (0) 20 7878 7935, email: press-office@ifpi.org