Mikhail Gorbachev. Open letter to Bill Gates

To: Bill Gates
Chairman
Microsoft Corporation

Esteemed Mr. Gates!

      Perhaps you are aware of the much-publicized criminal action taken in Russia in which you company acts as the aggrieved party. As a matter of fact, the Russian Federation Prosecution Office is taking action against Alexandr Ponosov, a teacher from a provincial secondary school, having accused him of an allegedly intentional use of unlicensed Microsoft software. The teacher who has devoted his life to educating children and who is getting for his work a meager salary that can in no way compare with the income that your company average executives are paid, is now in for a prison sentence in Siberia.

     In so doing, the offence committed by the teacher appears very questionable: he had bought computers for his school which already had installed software that was later found to be unlicensed. However, the Russian Criminal Code carries a punitive sanction even against people who were not aware of having used a piracy product and had no suspicion of its illegal origin. The striking fact is that those who sold Alexandr Ponosov the computers with stolen software are still out view of the law enforcement authorities. That is why many people in Russia see this outrageous court proceeding as an ordered show trial that was launched at the initiative of Microsoft Corporation.

    Esteemed Mr. Gates! We have profound respect for the work that Microsoft programmers are doing and the input of their talent in the company’s intellectual products. We in no way question the principle of holding people liable before the law for the violation of copyright. But under the circumstances, we are addressing you with a plea of leniency and withdrawal of claim against Alexandr Ponosov. All those who are using Microsoft Corporation products in Russia would enthusiastically support this noble action.

Respectfully yours,

Mikhail Gorbachev

Alexandr Lebedev
Deputy to the Russian Federation
Federal Assembly State Duma

"Novaya Gazeta", 05-07.02.2007