[ 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.””