Gorbachev Asks Gates to Intervene in Piracy Case 331
An anonymous reader writes to tell us that former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has asked Bill Gates to intervene in a software piracy case against the headmaster of a middle school. If convicted, Alexander Ponosov could face detention in a Siberian prison camp for his crime.
Rediculous solution (Score:2, Insightful)
Missing the bigger issue (Score:5, Insightful)
This isn't a case about Microsoft going after a teacher. The real issue here is the pressure that the US puts on countries that want to join the World Trade Organization. The hypocrisy here is ridiculous. Look at China and the rampant piracy there.
But this leads to another issue and that is pricing. The cost of software is way out of reach for most of these countries. Piracy becomes the only alternative (besides open source of course).
gasmonsoRe:do the crime, do the time? (Score:5, Insightful)
It's possible the schoolmaster assumed he could make unlimited copies of the software for non-profit, academic use only. If he works at a school that has to watch every penny in its budget (like 90% of schools in the world), and he makes barely enough to live on himself (like 90% of teachers in the world), he probably assumed Microsoft would not attempt to charge a price that he and his school would be unable to pay.
Clearly Russian schools need a donation of 10,000 Kubuntu live CDs. This will provide them with well-needed coasters, and maybe a few schools would try it out and switch to legitimate software rather than risk having their teachers sent to Siberia.
Explain this to me (Score:2, Insightful)
wrong tree (Score:4, Insightful)
Mr. Gorbachev, with all due respect, you should have checked for Gates past [wikipedia.org] before making yourself ridiculous.
Don't petition Microsoft (Score:2, Insightful)
Microsoft for the moment has no expansion plans into humanitarianism.
Using Windows is like having sex with a prostitute (Score:5, Insightful)
Seriously, at some point when they start threatening you with being sent to prison in Siberia.... I think it is proving a bit too dangerous to be using Microsoft products. It just isn't remotely worth this type of bullshit.
Piracy == Gulag (Score:2, Insightful)
What is wrong with people? (Score:4, Insightful)
Seriously, what is wrong with this guy?
Nowadays we have Free and Open Source Software that is "free and in speech and beer", better quality, more flexible, more useful and more user-friendly than Microsoft's stuff.
There is no excuse for helping yourself to Microsoft's software, other than ignorance and laziness, especially in education, where being a virus vector and consumer of Project documents are not primary concerns.
Shout loud, let the world know.
He didn't know (Score:3, Insightful)
Now, this particular case of enforcement might be a bit over the ability of the offender to pay. However, that is besides the point. The problem is that much of Russia probably doesn't understand. Or, if you pay attention to the Internet, much of Russia probably doesn't care, either.
This isn't just about mega-corporations squeezing the last time from people. This is the whole concept of "intellectual property", rights, restrictions and licensing. These folks probably wouldn't know (or care) what the rules for GPL software are either. So this is not something that does not affect those hating the MPAA and RIAA. It affects anyone that creates something and does not release it completely without restriction to the public domain.
GPL is a restricted and legally obligating license and does not fall under the idea of releasing something completely without restriction to the public domain. Creative Commons licensing is not (usually) the same as releasing to the public domain. BSD licensing is closer but still not the same as "without restriction" in the public domain.
Without some education, these people that just don't know they are doing something wrong will continue and teach children to grow up and violate copyright, the GPL, Creative Commons and every other sort of license you can imagine. Is educating them by sending them to a prison came correct? Maybe not. But just writing it off isn't correct either.
Appealing to the wrong place? Or not? (Score:5, Insightful)
If this teacher has the backing of people like Gorbachev, I doubt he will spend any time in a gulag. I am a lot more concerned about the poeple who never make it into the headlines...
Re:Prison Camp (Score:1, Insightful)
Where we make little Johnny and Sue into proper mindless consumers.. er.. morally upright citizens!
Re:do the crime, do the time? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:do the crime, do the time? (Score:2, Insightful)
Horsehockey [opinionjournal.com]. Not saying Windows isn't overpriced (although there is now a version for developing countries), teachers, at least in the US, are paid better than most white collar workers.
Re:In Soviet Russia... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Gates just Declined (Score:3, Insightful)
Duhh, think a tiny bit and you'l see that this is actually a *political* case.
Russia has been trying for years to join the WTO and the USA has been blocking it's attempts, mainly on the bases that it doesn't enforce US copyright (When a commercial entity can manipulate foreign policy in this way, there is a problem) and this copyright case in mainly to demonstrate the will of the Russian government to enforce copyright and the said case is seen as a test example.
The sad thing is that the teacher, from a remote village, bought the computers pre-installed with windows so his claim that he didn't know that Windows was "pirated", seems perfectly plausible.
I think you will have to search hard among educated people before you find anyone that thinks the teacher should be sent to the Goulag in Siberia for this "crime".
Re:He didn't know (Score:3, Insightful)
MAYBE not? Uhm, definitely not. Maybe a fine or some community service may be appropriate. But taking the guy away from his family and pupils for years for a crime committed without mens rea - he had bought the computers with pirated Windows already installed - is completely inappropriate. As a Pole whose family members died in Siberia during WW II, I find the whole thing reprehensible and disproportionate.
-b.
The world has really lost it... (Score:3, Insightful)
1. Nobody should do prison time for infriging on a copyright. At least not when said infrigment is not part of a for profit activity. Even if you are one of those people that thinks copyright infringment and theft are not different, we still don't lock people up for shop lifting unless they are repeat offenders. We demand they make restitution and perhaps perform some community service as penence. As I say all the time the crime is not 100 times worse just because a computer was somehow used.
*yes this guy should be punished, just not so severly.
2. The other group of people want to argue that boohoo he can't afford Windows and other proprietary software and neither can alot of people in less well off parts of the world therfore they should be entitled. Look I think software copyrights and patents are lame, but for now the law is the law. You might and in my opinion probably are morally justified in brakeing it, especially if its in the name of makeing a social statement but if you do then you have to face the concequences. This is not like food or medicine nobody *needs* Windows period. If someone is only licensing their software/media for money you have choices, pay for it, infringe on it and take your chances, make your own, do without, or find a FOSS replacement.
*No we should not just let him off because he is the little guy getting screwed by big corporations and governments.
Those writing the curriculums are at fault. (Score:4, Insightful)
The root of the problem is that forced use of proprietary software in education will always lead to this 'theft', whether teacher, student or both. Most students and most schools are barely getting by.
Re:do the crime, do the time? (Score:5, Insightful)
-nB
Teaching pros and cons (Score:5, Insightful)
Yes pay is ok, it's not stellar but it's good, though raises and cost of living increases rarely ever happen.
Benefits are excellent, summers off unless you opt for extra pay through summer school teaching. Good medical insurance for free, my dad's gets free generic drugs and anything over $200 in medical bills (including vision and dental) a year is covered 100%. Other benefits depend on tenure and position, like paid retraining, access to facilities after hours (my first real internet connection was in my dad's office, which I had free reign of after 6pm and on weekends). Some school districts recieve a lot of unnecessary grant money and budget allocation for tech upgrades, meaning at the end of the fiscal year even a small school can have $50k in unused tech cash and a need of ideas on what to spend it on.
Biggest benefit is stability and portability. EVERY community needs teachers, and it usually takes a good decade for population growth rates to effect wether they still need 50 teachers, or just 45.
Downsides are what turn most people off from the job. Longer hours than most jobs. Enough unpaid overtime to make an EA programmer pity you. More breakroom drama than ABC's daytime lineup. No Child Left Behind and other completely fucking stupid plans and regulations. Daily exposure to more infectious diseases than most doctors will ever see (this is why they don't skimp on the medical insurance).
Kids who wish you were sent to a siberian prison camp. Parents who ignore the fact their little angel is a holy terror and attribute everything from bad grades to disciplinary issues on your incompetence (so what if little billy was caught cheating, sleeps in class, and has started 3 fights this week alone, YOU hate him and are singling him out for undue punishment and failing grades). Parents who will do anything to correct any percieved issues with little angel's grades (death threats, my dad as a principal got dozens from parents looking for a way their kid won't fail 3rd grade again).
Get off of my cloud! (Score:3, Insightful)
The teachers don't always repeat the script because they want to. They repeat the script because their students have to do well on standardized tests that school boards and the government force on them. Originally, they had to score well because schools with better scores got a better class of student, one with parents who could pay the taxes to improve the schools. These days, I believe that every school in America is federally required to be above average.
Did you not have any teachers, at all, when you were growing up?
Re:do the crime, do the time? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:do the crime, do the time? (Score:5, Insightful)
When the legal code in the US fills entire floors of a stadium sized library how in the world can ignorance not be an excuse? There isn't a single person in the nation who knows all of the laws.
We do not have too many criminals. We have too many laws.
Change the laws instead. (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:In Soviet Russia... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:do the crime, do the time? (Score:3, Insightful)
-nB
My partner considers herself a good teacher; she NEVER brings work home and she NEVER gets home late because of workload (as opposed to parents' evenings etc.)
In an attempt to seem more sympathetic to teachers, I will say this: the qualities which would make them better at organising their workload and getting with it are not the same qualities that make them good at teaching subjects like English Literature.