Russian Judge: AllofMP3 (a.k.a. MP3Sparks) Can Accept Credit Cards

A Russian court has ruled that MP3Sparks (formerly known as AllofMP3) can once again accept credit card orders from Mastercard and Visa for its bargain-priced, un-DRMed online music store — the latest in an ongoing saga involving the US trying to make Russia’s adherence to US-style copyright rules a criterion for Russia’s acceptance into the […]

Mp3sparks
A Russian court has ruled that MP3Sparks (formerly known as AllofMP3) can once again accept credit card orders from Mastercard and Visa for its bargain-priced, un-DRMed online music store -- the latest in an ongoing saga involving the US trying to make Russia's adherence to US-style copyright rules a criterion for Russia's acceptance into the World Trade Organization.

According to Digital Music News,

"The ruling, issued by a Moscow-based bench, criticized Rosbank Visa fordetermining the legality of the destination at the behest of copyrightowners, and not a higher authority."

(Yeah... if only those Russians would listen to higher authorities than copyright holders. Stateside, we have panels such as the Copyright Royalty Board, which make such decisions independently. Oh, wait, that's right... the CRB adopted SoundExchange's proposed royalty rates pretty much letter for letter.)

Regardless of the ruling, MP3Sparks currently does not accept credit card orders from the US, as I just verified. If that changes, I'd recommend using a pre-paid credit card to fill your account. It probably wouldn't be the best idea in the world to leave your credit card information floating around in a database of a company that could still disintegrate under pressure from international copyright interests, this ruling to the contrary.