I missed this from ars technica last month:
… certain regions remain outside the RIAA's and IFPI's sphere of influence. One of those is Russia. A number of music download services operate out of that country, including the well-known allofmp3.com. … Now the RIAA is attempting to gain the support of the US government in its fight against the Russian music download services. A resolution passed shortly before the Senate recessed for the holidays mirrors an earlier House resolution calling for the Russian Federation to "provide adequate and effective protection of intellectual property rights, or it risks losing its eligibility to participate in the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program." The GSP allows products from favored countries to be imported into the US duty-free.
In a statement, RIAA CEO Mitch Bainwol hailed the resolution, which lacks the force of law:
The U.S.-Russia relationship must be built upon a mutual understanding of shared obligations and the application of the rule of law. The effective protection of American intellectual property has been sorely lacking in Russia. This resolution is significant because it expresses the will of the U.S. Congress that Russia must take effective action against those who would steal America’s knowledge-intensive intellectual property-based goods and services. We must not enter into political arrangements with countries ill-prepared to adequately protect our greatest economic assets.
… While it's true that Russian services such as Allofmp3.com operate without the approval of the RIAA and IFPI, the fact that they are apparently thriving should be telling the recording industry something about the market. Allofmp3.com offers consumers an almost endless array of inexpensive choices when it comes to buying music. Customers can choose their preferred file format, bit rate, and a very extensive catalog of artists and recordings, all without DRM restrictions. Imagine that ... giving consumers what they want instead of forcing low bitrates and restrictions on where and how the music can be played back. If US and Western European music stores offered the same amount of flexibility on bitrates and formats, chances are good that consumers wouldn't bother with Russian services, even if it cost a bit more.
Technorati tags: AllofMP3, AllofMP3.com, RIAA
