A Chinese court cleared Baidu, the Chinese internet search engine, of helping users to download music illegally from the internet today.

It's multimedia search feature, called "MP3 Search," is able to locate audio file formats such as .MP3, .WMA, and .SWF and was the main target of the lawsuit.

The complaint filed by IFPI, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, on behalf of EMI Group Plc., Vivendi's Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group and Sony BMG, criticizes Baidu for assiting usres in their quest to download music illegaly.

Never one to let a country's soveirgnty get in its way (think AllofMP3), it plans to appeal the ruling and was "... confident it would be overturned."

"I am amazed by this inexplicable judgment that is totally out of step with Chinese law," IFPI chairman John Kennedy said in a statement.

What has really made the case particularly urgent for the IFPI is the fact that an estimated 85% of all the music listened to in China is pirated.

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