Russia to shut down Allofmp3.com

Russia has agreed to shut down Allofmp3.com and other music sites based in that country that the US government says are offering downloads illegally.

The nation has struck the agreement with the Office of the US Trade Representative as it seeks entry to the World Trade Organization. The US has suggested that it would hold up Russia's acceptance in the WTO unless leaders there took action against digital piracy.

"Russia will take enforcement actions against the operation of Russia-based Web sites," according to a press release issued on 19 November by the US Trade Representative. "[Russia will] investigate and prosecute companies that illegally distribute copyright works on the Internet."

On Wednesday, Allofmp3.com was still operating. Gretchen Hamel, a spokeswoman for Office of the US Trade Representative, said that she didn't know when the deal requires the Russian government to begin taking action.

Allofmp3.com is one of many internationally based download sites that the US and several other countries, including the UK, are trying to close down. Music labels and movie studios say that such sites are not authorised to sell music and don't compensate copyright holders.

The move is a setback for Allofmp3.com, which has come under continued US pressure in recent months. In October, Visa announced that it would no longer process the company's credit card transactions.

Allofmp3.com has denied charges of piracy by pointing out that the company is compliant with Russian copyright law. It says it is careful to pay royalties to artists via the Russian Multimedia and Internet Society, which claims to represent copyright holders.

The US has never recognised that organisation as legitimate and, as part of the agreement, requires Russia to stop such groups from "acting without right holder consent".