AllofMP3.com May Hinder Russia Joining WTO

Found on Slashdot on Friday, 02 June 2006
Browse Politics

"The New York Times is reporting that American trade negotiators may demand the shutdown of AllofMP3.com as a condition of Russia joining the World Trade Organization." From the article: "Music industry officials say AllofMP3, which first came to their attention in 2004, is a large-scale commercial piracy site, and they dismiss its claims of legality. "It is totally unprecedented to have a pirate site operating so openly for so long," said Neil Turkewitz, executive vice president of the Recording Industry Association of America, who is based in Washington ... AllofMP3.com says on the site that it can legally sell to any user based in Russia and warns foreign users to verify the legality within their countries for themselves. The site features a wide selection of Russian music, but is written in English with prices listed in United States dollars."

Isn't it a shame that the joyful US laws aren't respected in every corner of the world? You can have a legal business running in your country, but you'll still be guilty if your country doesn't make it into the WTO (might this be good or bad).