False Computer Science
// Village school teacher prosecuted for using pirate software
Vereshchaginsky regional court of Permsky Area began hearings of the criminal case against village school director Alexander Ponosov. He is charged with the fact that 12 computers in the school had unlicensed Microsoft software installed on them. The director might receive up to 5 years of imprisonment. Microsoft’s rep office in Perm said that Ponosov owes 266,000 rubles of damages to the company. Head of Rospechat (Russia’s Federal Agency of Press) Mikhail Seslavinsky said he is ready to pay that sum.
Vereshchaginsky regional court yesterday began hearings of Alexander Ponosov’s criminal case. Twenty school children and activists of Walking Together movement organized a rally of support for the school teacher.
Microsoft’s regional dealer Alexei Potapov spoke in court yesterday. He actually supported the prosecution’s demand to punish the school director. Afterwards, he vaguely explained that the supplier of school computers had already been fined for pirate software.
Microsoft’s Moscow office contradicted to what Potapov said. The company said it will not collect damages from the director.
Ponosov said that only expertise will show whether he is guilty or not. The next hearing is scheduled for February 12.
Konstantin Sterledev, Perm; Arina Borodina, Alexander Voronov
All the Article in Russian as of Jan. 30, 2007
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