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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."
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.
His blog was a bit difficult to read, but it looks like he is trying to find help installing Linux on the computers. With the visibility that this case is getting, I wonder how much good PR Linux will get? Perhaps Edubuntu or some other Distro group can send them (Russian educators) some free CDs?
Support NYCountryLawyer RIAA vs People
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.
Man, automatically translated ungrammatical blog-y Russian, makes for some nigh-incomprehensible English. It actually does get some extremely colloquial phrases correctly, but also completely messes up some trivial ones.
Some things are just baffling:
"It is my understanding that among readers of the magazine legally Kisbér people."
The word in the original is "shod" (as in past participle of "shoe", as in what you do to a horse), an idiom meaning "skilled/versed in". It's curious how that becomes a town in Hungary.
Of course some things computer translation is useless at: "Again devils went about treacherous Daniel", the literal translation is something along the lines of "And again the aggravation started about the cunning copyright" - it's a reference to a line from a well known song, and doesn't make much sense out of context.
sic transit gloria mundi
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?
Its very interesting that Cocaine (3g ~ $120 == 3122 rubles, or so I've heard ;) and Windows ($99 here and there) are priced the same as in the US, while everything else on your list is way cheaper in Russia. Does the Windows price in other countries also track with Cocaine? Do other drugs and contraband follow the same scale?
Is Windows really placing itself in the same market as illegal substances, rather than on par with the legal consumer products?
For reference, here's how your other items compare:
- Your Vodka price is on par with bottled water here. A factor of 5 gets us to Vodka.
- Beer is about 5 times more here (12-pack of budweiser for $10 vs your $11.50 for 60 bottles).
- A Subway ticket is WAY more than 19 cents here. Way more even than 5 times 19 cents, in some cities.
- There is certainly no new car available here in the $2000-$3000 range. Its a stretch, but a factor of 5 ($10-$15,000) might get you a new Kia or a Scion.
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