To the average user AllOfMP3 looks little different to a typical legal download service, in that they offer a vast library, song previews and an all-in-one user-friendly software package for sampling & downloading its music.  For the customer, at a first glance the service appears "Too good to be true" in along with its extremely cheap song & album pricing, their purchased titles will play on virtually every MP3 player on the market including the iPod series.  However, while the Website claims to be licensed by the Russian Multimedia and Internet Society (Roms) and the Rightholders Federation for Collective Copyright Management of Works Used Interactively (Fair), the British Phonographic Industry claims that their Roms license not legitimate and that regardless of wether this is the case, the Russian music service is not licensed to sell music in other countries.  

As a result, the BPI has recently planned bringing action against AllOfMP3 and has now been given the go-ahead to sue the Russian Website in the High Court, with proceedings to be issued in Russia.  Their aim is to prove that the site is operating illegally as they are selling music to customers in the UK without any permission from the copyright holders. 

Despite all of the legal music download services on the UK market, AllOfMP3's popularity has grown to the point where it now accounts for 14% of music downloads in the UK, making it the second most popular service after iTunes.  While the BPI tries making it clear that it is even illegal for UK customers to buy music from the website, they have decided against targeting its customers for now.  Unfortunately, even if the BPI wins their case, chances are that they will have huge difficulty in enforcing the ruling in Moscow. Thanks to GristyMcFisty for sending in this news: 

This looks more like a lawsuit that would at its worst outcome do little more than result in UK consumers being blocked from the service.  On the other hand, should the BPI win their case, it looks like they will then start targeting the website's UK customers should they fail to have the site closed down.  Assuming the website leaves a clear clue on credit card statements that a given person has made a purchase from AllOfMp3, all it would take is for the BPI to find a way of working with the banks to reveal what people have made one or more purchases from this provider to start issuing lawsuits.

Source: BBC News - Entertainment