Allofmp3.com site owners sued for intellectual piracy

Top recording companies have filed a suit in a New York court against Russia's MediaService – owner of the music download website allofmp3.com. They accuse the company of violating intellectual property rights.

The plaintiffs demand a court order to ban music sales on the internet.

Copyright infringement has been one of the main stumbling blocks for Russia's entry to the WTO. The United States have repeatedly asked the Russian government to close the allofmp3 website.

The plaintiffs include Warner Bros, Sony BMG and Capital Records.

Mediaservice, however, claim that they have acted in full accordance with Russian legislation.

The website says it pays license fees for all materials downloaded from the website and subject to Russian copyright law.