AllofMP3 Exec Cleared of Charges

The former head of Mediaservices has been cleared of any wrongdoing surrounding AllofMP3 after a Russian court threw out charges against him.

EMI, Universal, and Warner Music Group had sued former Mediaservices chief executive Denis Kvasov for $587,000 USD. However, a Russian District Court judge said that he could not be sued under current laws because of a change in the rules.

Kvasov left Mediaservices in December 2005, while a loophole still existed that allowed the online distribution of music. That hole wasn't closed until September 2006, long after he left. Russian representatives for the music industry were still unsatisfied with the ruling.

IFPI representative Igor Pozhitkov told the Associated Press that the court ignored the fact that prosecutors also accused Kvasov of reproducing the music which, regardless of the loophole, was still illegal at the time he was at the company.

Even with Kvasov escaping charges for his involvement, the record industry is still pursuing charges against others within Mediaservices, including current chief Vadim Mamotin.