London - Taking a page out of the playbook of the budget song download site AllofMP3.com, a Russian website called ZML.com has begun offering unprotected downloads of Hollywood movies for about $2.99 each, The Register reported. The site offers about 1,500 titles, such as "Spider-Man 3" and "300," with prices ranging from $1.99 for an iPod-compatible version, to $4.99 for DVD-quality files.

The company claims to be operating legally because it is paying license fees to the Russian Organization for Multimedia and Digital Systems (ROMS) -- a similar tack taken by the now defunct AllofMP3.com.

AllofMP3 was shut down in July, just before a meeting between President Bush and Russian president Vladimir Putin, following intense pressure from the U.S. government and copyright interests.

The U.S. Trade Representative said sites like AllofMP3 were hampering Russia's accession to the World Trade Organization.

AllofMP3.com's founders are now facing both criminal and civil charges in Russia.

ZML.com does not accept payments directly from Visa or Mastercard, requiring users to first create and add funds to a separate account, The Register reports.

Related Links:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/11/16/ituneski4films

http://www.zml.com