But the American record labels didn't like AllOfMP3's business practices -- they sold DRM-free MP3s at low cost -- and used the World Trade Organization and the US Trade Representative to get AllOfMP3 shut down (killing this company was even a condition of the recent Russia-US trade agreement, which also included a promise to license and inspect presses, something that the US fought a bloody revolutionary war to stop back in 1776).

Now a court has heard the case against AllOfMP3 and decided that they weren't breaking Russian law after all. The site has already been shut down, though the founders have created a successor already and transferred AllOfMP3 accounts to it.

A Russian court found the former boss of music download Web site www.allofmp3.com not guilty of breaching copyright on Wednesday in a case considered a crucial test of Russia's commitment to fighting piracy...

"The prosecution did not succeed in presenting persuasive evidence of his involvement in infringing copyright law," said judge Yekaterina Sharapova.

See also:
US Trade Representative bends Russia over on copyright
Allofmp3.com finally shut down by Russian authorities (Thanks, Mark!)