Russia Considers Creating A List Of ‘Unfriendly’ Copyright Holders To Infringe On

Fascist kleptocrats sure do love their lists, don't they? Way back in March, when Vladimir Putin decided to invade a sovereign neighbor, we discussed how Russia was contemplating simply legalizing software piracy in the wake of crippling sanctions to try to keep the Russian economy as stable as possible. That Russia would take such a step came to the surprise of exactly nobody, of course, but there were questions as to how such a thing would work with parties that are not sanctioning Russia, such as China.

The answer appears to be lists! One Russian official has proposed that Russia create a registry of countries unfriendly" to Russia at this time, ostensibly so that parties from those nations could be infringed upon due to their unfriendly status.

Anatoly Semyonov, the head of Russia's Parallel Import Association, has proposed creating a registry of unfriendly" copyright holders, according to the newspaper Kommersant. Semyonov reportedly raised the idea at a roundtable discussion held by the Russian Federation Council. According to a copy of Semyonov's proposal obtained by Kommersant, the new registry would theoretically include copyright holders that support sanctions against Russia and that refuse to sell their products on Russian territory.

Under the initiative, all types of intellectual property would be included in a single registry, while countersanction measures" would be selected individually by regulators and courts for each copyright holder.

It's a shortsighted plan at best. As some within the Russian government and economy have already pointed out to Semyonov, this will simply turn into an arms race. Trying to route around sanctions by legalizing copyright infringement will only result in more sanctions that cannot be routed around in that fashion. And, despite what it may seem like today, it's not as though this war in Ukraine is going to on forever.

At some point, one way or the other, Russia is going to find itself without a war to fight, but plenty of sanctions remaining in place. That is, unless Russia manages to negotiate peace in a way I don't expect, or should disruptions or eliminations within the Russian government take place. Neither of those are terribly likely.

So all this would do is give Russia access to some software and IP it might want/need today, all while setting up more animosity with Western nations and further cementing the country's role as a villain on the world stage.