The current situation that exists due to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has unleashed a series of movements of all kinds in support of Ukraine and try to address the issue a little, here it would be to be coming out on the subject of the blog, but what is to clarify that it is still important, besides that I have not yet gone too far into the subject to be able to give a clear opinion.
The reason for touching on the subject a bit is because Red Hat has decided to stop sales and services in Russia, since this cConsider legalizing software piracy in some cases.
Russia is on the verge of numerous sanctions, of which for example the Russian news channel RT (Russia Today) had to resort to the online video platform Rumble in which it will continue its transmissions. Google has blocked mobile applications related to RT and Sputnik in its Play application store in Europe, in addition to the fact that computer specialists cannot leave the country or stay due to the restrictions imposed by Visa and Mastercard, etc.
And now Red Hat just expanded the list and announced the discontinuation of its sales and services in Russia and Belarus. Russia, for its part, is considering legalizing software piracy in some cases to ease sanctions.
In the full statement Red Hat officials share the following:
Dear All:
I, Paul Cormier, Chairman and CEO of Red Hat, am sure I speak for all of us when I say that the war in Ukraine is heartbreaking. As a company, we join with all those affected by the violence and condemn the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian military. We add our voices to those calling for peace and will continue to work to ensure the safety of our affected associates and their families in every way possible.
The safety, security and well-being of our associates remains our top priority. The cross-functional team we created several weeks ago has communicated directly with all Red Hat members in Ukraine and Russia and will continue to make sure they have the support and resources they need. We have helped Red Hat members from Ukraine and their families (including spouses, children, and family members) move safely to neighboring countries, and we continue to help those who remain in the country in every way possible. In the past few days alone, buses organized by Red Hat have safely transported several dozen family members of our Ukrainian partners across the border into Poland. We also support our partners in Russia. And for any Little Red Riding Hood in need, wherever she may be, we have additional wellness resources.
Red Hat's ongoing support is only part of our answer. Red Hatters around the world have helped their colleagues in many ways - big, small, and heroic - over the past few days and weeks. I have heard notable stories of these actions, including an associate in Poland who drove several hours each way to pick up a colleague's wife and child at the Ukrainian border and opened his clean house. This spirit of unity and mutual help does not surprise me, I have seen it many times in Red Hat…
The situation continues to evolve rapidly. We appreciate her compassion and concern for her colleagues, and her patience and understanding as we go through this together. We've created a space in the feed with frequently asked questions, ways to help us, wellness resources, and more, so be sure to stay up to date.
The Russian Ministry of Economic Development has published recently a document detailing the various measures that it intends to put in place to alleviate the sanctions that affect the State and the Russians.
The project is titled «Priority action plan to ensure the development of the Russian economy in the conditions of pressure from external sanctions.
According to the Russian authorities, if these measures are adopted, they will affect copyright, patent and trademark holders who act against Russian interests. Section 6.7.3 is intended to solve the problem of foreign companies revoking or refusing to issue software licenses.
As is the law, unlicensed software is illegal, but if the new measures are passed, in some cases software piracy will no longer be punishable.
Specifically, these new measures propose "exemption from liability for the use of unlicensed software in the Russian Federation, held by a copyright holder from countries that have supported the sanctions."
"Liability for the use of unlicensed software (SW) in the Russian Federation, belonging to a copyright holder of countries that supported the sanctions," the proposed measure says. As written, the proposal covers both civil and criminal liability (Code of Administrative Offenses and Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).
It also says that as long as the sanctions are in place, software piracy for which no Russian alternatives exist will be allowed.
Exactly how this might play out for accessible cloud services is unclear, but the overall goal is to ease Russia's transition from reliance on foreign company products to local solutions.
Finally if you are interested in knowing more about it, you can check the details In the following link.