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Russian School Teacher 'Pirate' Case Re-Opened
newtley writes "Russian school teacher Alexander Ponosov thought he was out from under after having been accused of 'criminally' using Microsoft product. A Russian court threw the case out, calling it 'trivial,' and Russian president Vladimir Putin said those who make "pirate" goods should be targeted, not consumers, calling the trial "utter nonsense". Now the BBCA Russian court has ordered a retrial, 'after pressure from the prosecution'. However, Ponosovhas now launched a web site. It's in Russian."
That's way too hard to read. Who can learn all that? It's like the Russians have a different word for everything!
Fascism trolls keeping me up every night. When I starts a preachin', he HITS ME WITH HIS REICH!
It's an interesting debate about who should be held liable, the user or the provider. In this case, they are siding with the user.
http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F %2Falex-ponosov.livejournal.com%2F&langpair=ru%7Ce n&hl=en&safe=off&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&prev=%2Flanguag e_tools/
Obviously, Russian prosecutors have no appreciation for the consequences of their actions.
One less pirate, one step closer to our inevitable demise due to global warming.
I wonder if double jeopardy laws would apply to such a situation in this country. I suppose it has everything to do with how the case was initially dismissed.
Either way, somehow, I have a feeling that the outcome will be totally different from what it would have been if this case did not have the publicity it is going to have...
Microsoft has distanced itself from the prosecution, saying it had nothing to do with the charges and had opted last year not to bring any civil action.
Microsoft has said they're not interested in prosecuting... no wonder, that would be some bad press. The guy is a school teacher, using Windows on 12 computers in the school. It's probably good news for Microsoft that he's using their software - get the kids hooked on Windows while they're young, so they'll be accustomed to using it (and possibly paying for it) later in life.
I store my recipes online (the way nature intended)
In Soviet Russia FCKGW key enters you!
We could use a Martyr in our crusade against ridiculous copyright laws.
Seriously, this aggression toward a relatively innocent school teacher who only wanted to give his students the best education he couldn't afford... it doesn't cause fear of piracy in the publics eye it causes ANGER.
Eventually these ridiculous lawsuits and penalties will drive the public to fix a damaged copyright system, or even drive them to embrace products that are not burdened by such copyrights. I just hope it happens soon!
Sometimes the best solution is to stop wasting time looking for an easy solution.
This is why I am launching our school's computer lab with Edubuntu.
1. Built in Terminal Server - works well with donated (read: ancient) equipment
2. Great educational programs and games
3. It just works
4. Licensing - what licensing?
5. Maintenance and Administration - very little compared to a similar MS environment.
Perhaps more people in educational circles will see the benefit of switching from this poor teacher's incident.
One ring to bind them - should probably have more fiber and less rings in their diet.
I translate his Russian site and I get: "Where are your nuclear Wessles?"
Try to hack my 31337 firewall!
Now this is what I'd call a Russian Reversal.
I wonder how much the liability of running pirated MS products will now be an incentive to move to Linux?
Most distro's have a Russian language version and don't come with the litigation risk.
The truth shall set you free!
Putin makes sense in what he said though, those who distribute the pirated software should be held responsible and not the consumer.
The reason there is pirated software out there is due to the pirates... This free software is an enticement and leads to people acquiring it in some way or another. If there was no enticement for free products that cost $450 then people wouldn't get them, 2 ways around this, stop piracy or lower the cost of these expensive products (windows vista, office, Maya/Softimage XSI (for personal/educational use)) and give the consumer a good reason to buy it, allow some more flexibility.
I wonder if this case will help alleviate global warming? /DRTFA //all hail the flying spaghetti monster?
semper ubi sub ubi
> out from under after having been accused of 'criminally'
> using Microsoft product"
It should be criminal to use a Microsoft product.
In non-Soviet modern Russia, criminal charges regarding the copyright of software that were previously dismissed and carry no support from the owner of the allegedly violated copyright are brought against YOU!
Looks like the US finally won the Cold War for real.
The administrator in question is enjoying this publicity and thumbing his nose at the authorities and Microsoft as if it is some kind of a virtue to run machines preloaded with pirated copies of Windows. There has been talk in Russian press that he was well aware that software was illegal on dozen of the machines but still decided to cut the costs and pocket the difference.
During a court trial he was asked to apologize and move on but he insisted of filing an appeal to "clear his name" and play a martyr of some sort. In sum, this guy is an asshole.
If one were to put aside the bias towards Microsoft, it's clear that Panosov is being defiant, despite him being completely guilty.
I've checked his blog and he's asking his readers on how to partition the NTFS drive and install Linux alongside windows. I don't think he learned a lesson here. He's not the saintly school teacher who was unknowingly victimized by prosecutors as the media had initially reported.
"It's in Russian."
;)
I like the way that sounds like an accusation.
"I say, there, he's released one of those web-a-majoo-dahs I've heard so much about.
"Oh, wait, ignore that; it's in some kind of foreign language.
"*derisive laughter* Why would he bother?"
Can't believe there are no obligs on this one
You never hear about 'Ninja' trials.
Except for ending slavery, the Nazis, communism, & securing American independence, war has never solved anything.
I`m working on translating it but im working a dbl shift at the moment and im not totally fluent in russian. Maybe this weekeend will provide a window of time but dont count on me finishing a translation any time soon.
Did it occur to you that half the readers of /. are using pirated M$ and defiantly thumbing their nose at the authorities?
microsoft says if you aren't going to BUY their software, it's sorta OK to warez it, because some day they'll jerk the rod and you'll have to buy it, being hooked.
but they're sparing no international pressure to destroy this educator in russia.
which lie should I believe? Bill? Monkeyboy? anybody???
I quit the MS habit cold after millenium, and my Mac does everything worth doing.
if this is supposed to be a new economy, how come they still want my old fashioned money?
take that... um... whoever is suing (according to wiki, it's not MS)
That must have been a really *shitty* name to grow up with!!
hehehehehe
I translate his Russian site and I get: "Where are your nuclear Wessles?"
Yeah, at the time the film came out, it was a funny joke and it's still funny, it's just not accurate. For those who don't know, the "w" sound doesn't exist in Russian at all. They would certainly say "vessels" if speaking English. "W" is most often transliterated as "v" into Russian, but they can sort of approximate the sound with something equivalent to the use of "ui" to replace "w". So I hate to burst your bubble, but this is a joke made by some writer who knew nothing of the Russian language.
Well, buying stolen property has been illegal for many years, even though the same argument can be used to defend people prosecuted for it. How are they supposed to know, for example, that the nice car audio system they bought for $50 from a strange looking guy, was stolen?
Now, I'm not asking for a debate on whether license infringement is equivalent to stealing in all respects — just pointing out, that the argument you put forward applies (or, rather, does not apply) equally to both.
In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
'The administrator in question is enjoying this publicity and thumbing his nose at the authorities and Microsoft'
.. use of the product can land you a hefty jail sentence.
:)
:) you have got to be taking the piss!!
Like how, he is protesting his innocence. He likes having the threat of a jail sentence hanging over his head? This is the second time a school teacher is facing jail time for using Windows. See here where a 7th grade teacher gets arrested when porn images pop up in the browser on a Win98 desktop. The expert prosecution witness says there is no way such images could have got on without user interaction. Something we all know is a big lie.
The teachers union on both continents should have the schools sign a do not sue waiver before touching the computer. Or maybe the EULA should be updated
'there has been talk in Russian press that he was well aware that software was illegal on dozen of the machines but still decided to cut the costs and pocket the difference'
Do you have any evidence for this wacky anecdote.
'During a court trial he was asked to apologize and move on but he insisted of filing an appeal to "clear his name" and play a martyr of some sort. In sum, this guy is an asshole'
What trial? the first case was thrown out. Also the original claim changed from piracy to illegally using the software. Even so the Judge saw fit not to proceed. Where does it say he was asked to apologize. Why would he appeal a non case. Where does it say he appealed.
'If one were to put aside the bias towards Microsoft, it's clear that Panosov is being defiant, despite him being completely guilty'
What are you smoking, toad juice? What bias? How does defending oneself in a court of law equate to being biased? I thought even in your country people are deemed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. 'Your honour the defendant is obviously guilty as he has chosen to plead innocent'
'I've checked his blog and he's asking his readers on how to partition the NTFS drive and install Linux alongside windows. I don't think he learned a lesson here. He's not the saintly school teacher who was unknowingly victimized by prosecutors as the media had initially reported'
What blog? Do you mind providing a citation to this blog where it actually says that. How in the alternate Bizarro world that you occupy does installing Linux equate to being guilty in a case of software piracy.
was Not the whole story... (Score:5, Interesting
davecb5620@gmail.com
In Soviet Russia, double jeopardy has you!
There is a war going on for your mind.
Forgot the link to show how-to. Also forgot to mention in Windows you can eject a CD at most any time. Seldom does Windows disable the Eject button. In Linux, the Eject function is locked when the CD is mounted most of the time. It will not eject when someone wants to eject and swipe the CD.
I X/GENERAL_ISO9660CDROMImages.shtml
Even if another user logs in and tries to eject the CD, since they are not the owner (Didn't mount it) they do not have privilages to eject the disk. (Physical access to shutdown bypasses this.)
Here is the link;
http://www.idevelopment.info/data/Unix/General_UN
It may be a little more work than the Windows solution, but I like the added security and haveing a dozen or so CD's mounted at the same time.
In a classroom situation where any CD not bolted down vanishes, the Linux solution is best, even in a Windows shop. Use a Linux ISO SAMBA server for the network. It will prevent theft of the CD's when they are not even in the classroom to be stolen.
The truth shall set you free!
What do you say, would you consider making him an acquaintance?
I've created http://alex-ponosov-en.livejournal.com/ and started translating Alexander's journal. Any help from the Russian-English translators would be highly appreciated. I know my English is not perfect, so any corrections are more than welcome.
He must work for the BSA. That would explain both his LSD induced view of the facts and his counting Linux use as piracy. See3 .html and http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/07/20/10268 98931824.html for more info. (Note the date: this has been going on for a /very/ long time)
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20050614-499
The situation with Ponosov like this: 1. The Writer writes a book 2. The Publisher without the permissions from the writer publish the book. 3. The reader reads this book Is the reader are criminal?