Mercy for a Russian Software Pirate
Posted by Johan Cyprich on 18 Feb 2007 | Tagged as: Business
Arrrr Cap’n, there be pirates in the Urals!
Another Russian has been caught pirating software. This time its a teacher in a school pirating Microsoft Windows for students who could never afford their own Windows or computers. The school is located in Perm, which is one of the larger cities in Russia at the foot of the Ural Mountains.
Alexander Ponosov was charged with damages exceeding $10,000. Even though he was charged with major copyright violations, prosecutors were only seeking a $100 fine as opposed to paying for the software or the maximum five-year prison sentence.
This case caught the attention of Mikhail Gorbachev and Vladimir Putin. Gorbachev interceded on Ponosov’s behalf to Bill Gates. He asked Gates to “show mercy and withdraw the claims against Ponosov”. To drop the charges against Ponosov would be seen by Russians as a “noble step” that “will be enthusiastically received by all those in Russia who use Microsoft products”.
Putin was also critical of the case against Posonov. He was quoted as saying that “to grab someone for buying a computer somewhere and start threatening him with prison is complete nonsense, simply ridiculous. The law recognizes the concept of someone who purchases a product in good faith.”
Needless to say, the judge in Perm dismissed all charges against Ponosov as being “trivial”.
Microsoft should price their software at a level that is affordable to the Russian people. If they sell at U.S. prices, few will be able to afford it and they’ll pirate it. If they start going after the common man, they won’t pirate the software anymore. They’ll start using Linux. What happens to Microsoft’s market share in Russia then?
Windows can be easily replaced. In fact, Russians are not to be underestimated. Their technology is comparable to the Americans, and superior in certain ways as well. They have software engineers that can create their own operating system and software.
Software piracy in Russia actually benefits Microsoft in the long run. People are used to it and will continue to use when their economy improves and are able to legally purchase it. Windows currently has the largest market share there, but it can easily change with the usage of Linux.
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