There piracy of Japanese materialsuch as computer and audio-visual software, has been approved a few days ago by the Government of Belarus. The measure also covers copyrighted material from other countries considered “hostile”.
Belarus authorizes piracy of Japanese material
Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus, signed the bill on January 3, which means that it is now legal in Belarus to access pirated audiovisual material and computer software if those who hold the rights to that particular product come from
foreign states committing hostile actions against Belarusian legal entities and/or natural persons.
Furthermore, the law also affects international companies from “hostile” nations that hold copyrights on audiovisual material and computer software.
However, there is a small clause to this bizarre law: when people or organizations access unlicensed or pirated content, they have to pay a compensation fee on bank accounts managed by the national state patent and patent registration authority. All money sent to this authority will be held for three years: this was designed to allow all those who legally hold international rights to pirated products to file a complaint with this authority and possibly also be entitled to compensation for the infringement of copyrights. However, if no such requests are submitted within the maximum period of three years, the Belarusian government will withhold payment of the tax.
In the bill that accompanied this proposal, the Belarusian government also stated that the new law will help the development of the “intellectual, spiritual and moral potential of society“ and will reduce “the severe shortage in the internal market of food and other goods“.
Belarus, a key ally of Putin’s Russia, has already faced several financial sanctions from the European Union, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States since 2020, after the Lukashenko regime cracked down on domestic protests following national elections.
