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AllofMP3 In Russia, Or None Of It?
by Winter Casey
The Russian-owned file-sharing site AllofMP3.com currently does not appear to be accessible, but the "service will be resumed," according to a July 24 blog entry. The Web site states that AllofMP3 has been relocated to its native Russian Internet address, allofmp3.ru.
AllofMP3.com has been accused of selling copyrighted music without permission, has been the target of U.S. industry and government wrath, and has faced multiple legal actions. Though the site appears to be dead now, the site's blog said, "the service will be resumed in the foreseeable future. We are doing our best at the moment to ensure that all our users can use their accounts, top up balance and order music."
In addition to allofmp3.ru, the site may be linked to the company Media Services and to alltunes.com and mp3sparks.com. No representatives for any of those sites could be reached by deadline.
Though "we cannot confirm that Allofmp3.com has been moved, we are concerned that its piracy activities appear to have migrated to other Web sites based in Russia," according to a U.S Trade Representative spokesman. "We strongly encourage Russian authorities to investigate those Web sites urgently."
The international music industry and U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab have accused the AllofMP3 of illegally distributing the music of copyright holders and creators from around the world. "We don't believe it is acceptable for Russia to join the World Trade Organization while allowing this site to exist," Sean Spicer, a spokesman for Schwab, said in October 2006.
The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that Russia has launched five days of politically sensitive negotiations concerning its long-sought bid to join the World Trade Organization.
The USTR spokesman added that "Russia is still engaged in the multilateral process of its accession. We continue to work intensively with our Russian counterparts on the outstanding bilateral and multilateral issues related to Russia's WTO accession."
AllofMP3 held a press conference last fall to defend the legitimacy of its operation in Russia. Company Director General Vadim Mamotin said at the time that "the U.S. government is conveniently using AllofMP3.com as an issue to gain further concessions from Russia" in its bid to join the WTO. He added that the company has not been pressured by the Russian government to close and "is a legitimate business that is incorporated in Russia, pays taxes in Russia, and pays royalties to the Russian Multimedia and Internet Society."
On the Allofmp3.ru site the group said its service is legal and answers frequently asked questions regarding the legality of the service under Russian law.
However, on Tuesday the news source Heise Online reported that the former owner of Allofmp3.com, Denis Kvasov, is facing prison time in Russia. The public prosecutor in Moscow is seeking monetary damages and a three-year jail sentence against Kvasov for violating copyright on a massive scale, according to the news report.
U.S. Official Plans Trip To Vietnam
U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez plans to lead a business-development mission to Vietnam in late 2007, with the goal of highlighting export opportunities for U.S. businesses.
The trip aims to provide a platform for addressing policy and commercial issues such as intellectual property protection and trade, according to Commerce. Vietnam became the WTO's 150th member on Jan. 11.
VASC Software and Media Company, meanwhile, reports that the Swiss government reached an agreement July 16 to provide $1 million to Vietnam to implement a 2007-2010 joint program on intellectual property rights.
Also on the IP front, China Daily reports that 350 lawyers have been chosen to assist the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games to protect Olympics-related IP rights. The media outlet said Beijing has 14,267 registered lawyers, and 1,044 belong to law firms.
Lithuania Won't Extradite Cyber Suspect
A Lithuanian appeals court has refused to extradite to the United States a man accused of defrauding online stores, Agence France-Presse reported. The court reasoned that the alleged offenses of Paulius Kalpokas occurred within Lithuania.
"Lithuanian legal institutions have priority for the investigation of the alleged crime as it was conducted from Lithuania," the court said. The country's legislation does not allow for the extradition of Kalpokas, the court found. The man has been in jail since 2006.
The court further said Lithuanian citizens should enjoy the rights guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights, including freedom from excessively long legal probes such as those necessary in extradition proceedings.
South Korea Deal Called Key In Asia
U.S. Deputy Trade Representative Karan Bhatia warned Tuesday that the United States will forfeit economic influence in Asia if Congress fails to pass a U.S.-South Korea trade agreement.
"If we succumb to protectionism within our own borders" by failing to approve the pact, Bhatia told the Washington International Trade Association, "the repercussions promise to be severe and enduring." Bhatia said South Korea and other Asian nations are pursuing preferential trade arrangements with the European Union, China and others, and "the true losers in this scenario will be the millions of Americans with export-dependent jobs."
House leaders said last month they believe the South Korea proposal is a missed opportunity that would harm the U.S. economy, and they have no plans to consider it. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., has said he will not consider the pact until South Korea re-opens its market to U.S. beef.
International Trade Commissioner Daniel Pearson, who attended Bhatia's speech, said an ITC report on the potential economic impact of the deal will be released Sept. 20, more than a week before the deadline for the report. With regard to beef, Bhatia said the South Korean government has set a target of reopening its market in September, if a series of inspections and other steps to ensure the safety of U.S. imports are completed.
Elsewhere in Asia, Bhatia said the United States is aiming to conclude trade talks with Malaysia in 2008 and will continue discussions about a regional Free Trade Area of the Pacific. But he saw differing views among Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation countries about the best way to pursue that last goal.
Bhatia said Bush administration trade officials are reviewing congressional proposals dealing with currency abuses by China and others, and they are concerned that such measures not violate World Trade Organization rules.
He declined to comment specifically on the bipartisan currency bill authored by Baucus and set for a committee markup Thursday. "We want to make sure that the United States remains consistent with its WTO obligations," he said. "We also want to make sure that the policies being adopted are good policies."
Martin Vaughan of CongressDaily contributed to this report
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