A U.K. Court authorized British recording industry association BPI to sue the Russia-based site in the United Kingdom AllofMP3.com. The move is the latest in a series of victories for BPI as record companies target online file sharing worldwide.
"We have maintained all along that this site is illegal and that the operator of the site is breaking U.K. law by making sound recordings available to U.K.-based customers without the permission of the copyright owners," BPI General Counsel Roz Groome said through a prepared statement.
The company's Web site claims that its business is legal under Russia copyright laws. It also states that AllofMP3.com is not aware of copyright laws in each country and is not responsible for the actions of foreign users.
Groome said AllofMP3.com offers discounted prices on downloads while failing to pay artists or record companies.
BPI claims that music fans saved more than $2 billion (U.S.) through illegal downloads from 2003 through 2005. The association had obtained more than 100 file sharing settlements by the end of last year.