The US wants Russia to know that it’s really, truly, absolutely serious like a heart attack about putting an end to AllOfMP3.com. How else to explain the recent raft of references (try saying that three times fast) to the site by the highest trade officials in the US government?
US Trade Representative Susan Schwab yesterday told reporters, “I have a hard time imagining Russia becoming a member of the WTO and having a Web site like that up and running that is so clearly a violation of everyone’s intellectual property rights.”
Schwab has been making the rounds with this kind of talk. Last week, she told the US Chamber of Commerce (PDF) last week that “at the top of the ‘notorious markets’ list is Russia’s allofmp3.com, the Web’s number one pay-per-download music site whose catalog consists of illegal copies of music from U.S. recording artists and other right holders.” Schwab told the Chamber that Russia’s WTO membership hinges on the fate of AllOfMP3.com.
As we reported earlier, a new Russian IP law has come into force that could put an end to the rogue music download site, but we also noted that action in the Duma to reform the country’s Civil Code could undo the provisions of the new law. Schwab made clear that the outcome of the Civil Code changes would also be taken into account—the US really wants this thing shut down.
And early in September, Deputy Trade Representative Karan Bhatia told the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, “At the top of that list is Russia’s allofmp3.com, a notorious website that is probably stealing from many people here in this room.”
The issue has become a talking point for the US Trade Rep’s office, largely because of how much money is involved. Bhatia pointed out that more money is earned by US companies from music sold outside the US than from music sold here, and AllOfMP3.com does not set a great example for the rest of the world to follow.
The US and Russia hope to settle accession talks by the end of October, so the number of AllOfMP3.com’s remaining days could be as low as the site’s music prices.
