Russian website allofmp3.com has been shut down by the Kremlln after international pressure – particularly from Britain and the U.S – which insisted that the site was breaking the law by not paying royalties to artists and record labels.
The website, which appeared to be a cheap yet legitimate download site, sold tracks for as little as 29p a track. However, music industry executives claimed that copyright holders never received any money from sales.
A U.S. trade representative said last year that closure of allofmp3.com was a non-negotiable condition of Russia's entry to the World Trade Organisation, prompting the Kremlin to act.
But at the time of writing, the new site has also disappeared – perhaps an indication that Vladimir Putin's government has little patience with renegade websites when they could have long-term detrimental effects on Russian trade.
