RIAA denies trillion dollar lawsuit

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has denied claims that it is seeking $1.6 trillion in damages from a Russian online music store. 

A press officer for the RIAA said that the organisation had not seen the media reports and had not made any official announcement.

"It is possible that the figure has been extrapolated from the number of tracks," the RIAA spokesman said.

"The $15,000 per track is laid down in US copyright law and is not something we have selected. It is possible that people are just doing the math."

The RIAA has not issued any updates on the case since the original filing back in December 2006.

The music copyright body has filed its claim against 11 million allegedly pirated songs in a New York court of law.

However, Mediaservices, which runs AllofMP3.com and allTunes.com in Russia, claimed that it was complying with its country's law by paying 15 per cent royalties to the Russian Organisation for Multimedia. 

The controversial Russian operation is already facing a lawsuit from the British Phonographic Institute and has seen credit cards firms blocking payments.

See also:

Bill Gates slams DRM systems

Tells bloggers to break UK law rather than deal with DRM  18 Dec 2006

Warner music boss declines to sue his children

Millions of downloaders worldwide seek adoption  07 Dec 2006

AllofMP3 hits back

Firm angry over credit card disqualification  23 Oct 2006

Kazaa pays off record companies and goes legit

Soz about all the illegal downloading and that  28 Jul 2006

Women boost online music downloads

Broadening their musical horizons  15 May 2006

RIAA aims to ban CD ripping

Think you own music? Think again  16 Feb 2006

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