Allofmp3.com scheme rumbled

An illegal voucher scheme run by music download site Allofmp3.com has been exposed, leading to the arrest of a 25-year-old Londoner.

An agent of the site had been selling vouchers on eBay and on the Allofmp3vouchers.co.uk website which enabled people to illegally download songs by using a code. The proceeds of the vouchers were being transferred to offshore accounts belonging to Allofmp3.com.

A man was arrested in Bow, east London, under Section 2 of the Fraud Act 2006.

The operation was carried out by the police with co-operation from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and the IFPI, a body that protects the rights of musicians and copyright holders worldwide.

BPI chief executive Geoff Taylor said: "British music fans should beware of voucher schemes like this one that seek to prop up an illegal service that rips off artists."

Allofmp3.com has been accused several times of selling digital music illegally, allowing people to download tracks without permission from the copyright holders. But Russia-based Allofmp3.com has persistently denied being in breach of the law.

However, online payment companies such as PayPal and credit card companies Visa and Mastercard don't allow people to buy from the website using their services, and the Danish government last year blocked its citizens from accessing Allofmp3.com.

"Allofmp3.com is an illegal download service and the decision by major credit cards and payment services no longer to support it amply demonstrates that fact," said Taylor.

The site is also facing legal action in a number of countries including the UK, France, Italy, Germany and the US.

John Kennedy, chairman and chief executive of IFPI, said: “The action announced today is the latest to highlight Allofmp3.com’s long and undistinguished history of stealing music from artists, composers and record producers and selling it at a profit."

http://www.bpi.co.uk/
http://www.ifpi.org/

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