The Billy Here Blog! (With Beverly Too!)

Blogging For Successful Business and Personal Relationships

2007-02-13

The Saga of Alexander Ponosov

Alexander Ponosov is the principal of a school in the 
Perm region of Russia who is now facing five years in 
a Siberian prison camp and a fine of 266,000 rubles 
(approximately $10,000).

His crime??? 

Alexander Ponosov purchased ten computers for student 
use in his school.  The computers came with Windows 
pre-installed.  Unfortunately the pre-installed Windows 
was pirated software.  (Alexandr Posonov claims he 
believed the software was legitimate.)

Mikhail Gorbachev has interceded and asked Bill Gates 
to drop the charges.  The initial Microsoft official 
response was that it was the Russian government enforcing 
the law and not a Microsoft issue.  Microsoft stated "We 
do respect the Russian government's position on the 
importance of protecting intellectual property rights."

Software piracy is known to be rampant in Russia as well 
as China and India and Microsoft has asked those countries 
to crack down on piracy.  Indeed, software piracy is a 
major issue keeping Russia out of the World Trade Organization.

I doubt the Russian government could detect pirated software 
without someone from Microsoft notifying them.  Clearly they 
are the plaintiff.  

So far, after reading several reports, no action has been 
taken against the sellers of the computer. Unfortunately the 
prosecutors appear to be cracking down on unsuspecting users 
and not the pirates themselves.

Russian President Vladimir Putin last week commented "It's 
ridiculous to just arrest a chap for using computers."

The case is drawing quite a bit of attention in the international 
press.