Microsoft on Monday moved swiftly to address what a New York Times report said was a case of Russian authorities cracking down on dissenting groups in the name of fighting software piracy.
While Microsoft has certainly made it clear that protecting its intellectual property rights is a key concern, the company also said it “unequivocally abhors” attempts to use anti-piracy laws to quash criticism.
In response to the report, the company said it would begin offering liberal software licensing terms to qualified organizations. Datamation takes a look.
Microsoft’s (NASDAQ: MSFT) policies may have been an easy tool for Russian authorities to take advantage of because of the company’s assiduous and long-term commitment to stamping out software piracy and counterfeiting worldwide.
“We must accept responsibility and assume accountability for our anti-piracy work, including the good and the bad,” Brad Smith, Microsoft general counsel, said in a post to the The Official Microsoft Blog.