The IMSLP (http://imslp.org/) has been shut down due to making available of scores that were already in the public domain in the country it is hosted in and many other countries, but - as is the nature of the WWW - were still accessible from other countries. Scores were accompanied by disclaimers stating this, and warning users that they should check their local laws before downloading anything. The company that shut down the project through a Cease and Desist letter ordering to remove works that are still copyrighted in the US and the EU is called Universal Edition. In other words, they didn't care that the works were legal in the country they were hosted in (Canada). The owner feared that other companies would do the same - and he didn't want to be sued out of existence, or course.
The IMSLP hosted mostly classical music, and was an invaluable resource for many people who like to play music (you could for example search these forums for "imslp" and you'd get a couple of results).
I hope this is sort of the right subforum to post this ...

sounded like it was a good project :( too bad it closed down.

hmm... ive had scores from there before

it was probably the modern scores that got them shut down- some of the works they put up there still had valid copyright. as far as i know, scores only become public domain if they are more than 75 years old (ie written more than 75 years ago)

if anyone knows more about music copyright laws please correct me

In Canada, it's 50 years. The owner hosted the site there, so he does somewhat possibly have an excuse.