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New Site Offers the Moon with Hit Movies for $1.99

November 20, 2007 A new movie download site offering new releases on the cheap is raising piracy issues.

Called ZML, the site lists a London phone number, but claims to have a legal license to distribute movies over the internet through Russia copy write laws.

Clean and professional looking, ZML boosts a catalogue of more than 1,000 titles that include Spider-man 3, Freedom Writers, and The Simpsons Movie, which hasn't been released on DVD in the U.S., as well as some older hits, like Star Wars and Platoon.

ZML has drawn comparisons with the Russian-based music site, AllofMP3.com, which was shut down under U.S. pressure by Russian authorities this summer. That dispute between U.S. music labels and the Russian government was so public, that the U.S. trade envoy said sites like AllofMP3 were hampering Russia's entry into the World Trade Organization.

Like AllofMP3, this latest incarnation claims to be operating legally because it is paying license fees to the Russian Organization for Multimedia and Digital Systems. Among its terms and conditions, ZML says "the client has not right to download any files from the site if this violates the law of his country. The site administration cannot control actions of each client therefore, the client is responsible for any illegitimate use of the site's materials and or services."

To purchase a movie, users buy credits using a Visa or Mastercard processed through a separate secure site and added to their account. The titles are downloaded through a variety of formats for portable players and computers. It claims to be Macintosh compatible using a VLC codec that's more of a freeware patch and not licensed by Apple.

The operators of the site say "ZML is a fairly-priced service providing full-length instant movie downloads."

Pricing ranges from $1.99 for PDA version to $4.99 for DVD quality.

The site is owned by a group called Ullan Management LLP in England. And lists its phone number as: 44-121-288-4100. VB has put in a request for comment from Ullan.

Posted by Ned Randolph on November 20, 2007 | Comments (1)