American
trade negotiators have threatened to scuttle Russia's entry into the World
Trade Organization unless the country shuts down the AllOfMP3.com website.
Operating through what music industry lobbyists say is
a loophole
in Russia's copyright law, AllofMP3 offers a vast catalogue of music that
includes artists who have not permitted their work to be sold online - like the
Beatles and Metallica - at a fraction the cost of services like Apple Computer's
iTunes service. Sold by the megabyte instead of by the song, an album of 10
songs or so on AllofMP3 can cost the equivalent of less than $1, compared with
99 cents per song on iTunes. And unlike iTunes and other commercial services,
songs purchased with AllofMP3's downloading software have no restrictions on
copying.