In response to Western sanctions, the Belarusian government has approved a law that legalizes the piracy of softwaremusic or movies if the copyright holder comes from of foreign states committing hostile actions against Belarusian legal and (or) natural persons “.
Since the start of the invasion of Ukraine by Russian armed forces, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has shown unwavering support for Vladimir Putin.
A royalty paid to the Belarusian state
As a result, the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom, among others, have imposed new sanctions on the country, cutting it off from financial institutions, trade and technological imports, but also from industries. defence, aerospace and maritime. In addition, several companies including Amazon, Intel and Airbnb have suspended their activities in Belarus.
In order to thwart these sanctions, the authorities have validated a law which comes into force this week, until the end of 2024. It allows Belarusians to pirate content, such as cultural goods or software, coming from States considered as enemies, that is to say those which impose sanctions on it. However, when individuals or entities use pirated content, they must pay compensation to state-owned bank accounts.
The amount of money paid will be determined by the lower house of the Belarusian parliament and will be sent to the Patent Authority, which will keep it for three years. If, at the end of this period, the rights holders or property rights management organizations do not claim the remuneration, then it will be claimed by the Belarusian government.
A very controversial president
The text also covers material goods, and authorizes the importation of certain products without the consent of the rights holders in order to avoid ” a critical shortage in the national market of foodstuffs and other products “.
Having arrived at the head of Belarus in 1994 following a presidential election, Lukashenko describes himself as the ” last dictator of Europe and does not hesitate to violently repress its population when it revolts. A staunch ally of Vladimir Putin, he has defended Russia’s invasion of Ukraine since its beginnings in February 2022.
Sources: Vice, Gizmodo
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