Microsoft does the right thing for Russian protest groups

[ Thanks to Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols for this link. ]

"It's no mystery that I generally don't like Microsoft or its products. On the other hand, when Microsoft does something right, I'll say that too. By issuing a free, blanket software license to nonprofit and journalist groups in Russia and other NGOs (non-government organizations) outside the U.S., Microsoft has done the right thing.

"After the New York Times reported that Microsoft lawyers have helped Russian authorities to raid advocacy groups and newspapers in the name of copyright enforcement in recent years, Microsoft slammed on the brakes on its copyright enforcement policies. Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith wrote in his blog, "We want to be clear that we [Microsoft] unequivocally abhor any attempt to leverage intellectual property rights to stifle political advocacy or pursue improper personal gain.""

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