Russia may lift legal liability for use of pirated software

The authorities propose to abolish criminal and administrative liability for the use of software that is not licensed in Russia and the rights to which are owned by the countries that have imposed or supported the sanctions.

The Russian authorities are looking into measures that would eliminate liability for the use of unlicensed software, against the backdrop of the severe sanctions imposed by the West on Russia. Countries that have imposed or supported sanctions on Russia.

Experts said that such a move could temporarily relieve pressure after the withdrawal of Microsoft, IBM, Oracle and other companies from the Russian market.

But they warn that the majority of important software from these companies is sold by subscription, which means it will block access anyway.

The Russian newspaper "Kommersant" published the draft resolution entitled "Plan of priority measures to ensure the development of the Russian economy in the face of pressure from external sanctions", which lists measures to support various sectors of the Russian economy.

According to a reliable source of "Kommersant", many departments and bodies participated in the development of the plan, and implementation of some of the proposed actions has already begun.

The plan is to support Russian information technologies through the development of a mandatory licensing mechanism for software, databases and integrated circuit foundations.

Under Article 1360 of the Russian Civil Code, the government has the right in a state of emergency to decide on the use of a useful industrial invention or model without receiving approval from the patent holder.

The authorities also propose to abolish criminal and administrative liability for the use of software that is not licensed in Russia and the rights to which are owned by the countries that have imposed or supported the sanctions.

According to the source familiar with the plan, the draft decision may raise many questions among market players, especially those who hold a patent for their software.

A source told the newspaper in the Russian Ministry of Digitization that they are working to establish balanced positions, and added, "With regard to the exemption from liability for the use of unlicensed software, we call for an approach aimed at stimulating the transition to Russian national software."

The ministry indicated that it had proposed exemption from liability for products in which there are now no Russian-made equivalents.