21 April 2004 13:55
Russian computer disc pirates may fund terrorism - minister
Washington, 21 April: Russian Education and Science Minister Andrey Fursenko believes that the money spent by
customers to buy pirated CDs may be used to finance terrorism.
"The money received from the customers of pirated products is criminal money, which could be used to finance
terrorism," Fursenko said at a news conference at the Russian embassy in Washington, at the end of the visit to the
USA.
Fursenko, who visited the USA within the framework of a meeting of the science ministers of G8, held a meeting with
US spokesman for trade issues Robert Zoellick. The meeting specifically discussed the measures Russia was taking to
combat piracy in the hi-tech sphere.
Fursenko said that there were fewer pirated products on the streets of Russia's cities today. "It is
impossible to take away everything overnight but fewer discs are being sold. A serious fight against the producers of
pirated products has started," Fursenko said.
He said that four factories turning out forged production totalling 5m dollars had been closed down in Russia quite
recently.
Fursenko has said that the Russian Education and Science Ministry is receiving offers from the USA and European
countries to cooperate in protecting intellectual property. "We have the offers to cooperate but we understand that
we need to show our will to combat pirates," Fursenko said. Fursenko said that he had given Zoellick a disc showing
how Russia is combating pirated production. "Zoellick said that he would watch the film instead of a thriller in
the evening. But I told him that this was a terrible film," Fursenko said.
Earlier the USA and the governments of other countries repeatedly requested Russia to take measures to combat forged
production.
According to the Business Software Alliance, the international organization uniting software producers, the computer
piracy rate in Russia and Ukraine was 89 per cent in 2003.
[RIA news agency] |
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