Last month, Moscow’s Arbitrary Court heard a case initiated by the Business Software Alliance and Microsoft Corp against an unnamed Moscow company which was accused of installing unlicensed software on the hard disks of the personal computers it assembled. Evidence was discovered during a raid held by UEP GUVD of Moscow, the Department of Economic Crimes – a branch of the Moscow Militia. The company was found guilty and fined 75.9m roubles or around $13,000, as compensation to Microsoft and must pay costs of 8.5m roubles – about $1,500. This is the third civil suit won by the Business Software Alliance in Russia. Meantime, the Alliance reports that the Perovsky district court, Moscow, recently heard a case against an individual charged with installing unlicensed software on personal computers sold at his company. The evidence for the case was gathered during a raid by the OEP GUVD of the South-Eastern district of Moscow. The accused was fined 500,000 roubles or $86. In this case, the fine was paid by the individual not his company.
