Belarus (sort Of) Legalizes Piracy After US Sanctions

Alexander Lukashenko

Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko legalized piracy in the country last week without requiring permission from the rights holder. The law says it will include computer programs, audiovisual works, musical works, and film, cinema, and entertainment organizations.

The law cited that the decision was the result of “unfriendly” relations between Belarus and other countries, including the US, the EU and the UK, among others, which imposed sanctions on the country amid the Russian government’s attack on Ukraine supported.

Lukashenko came to power during a democratic election in 1994 and has continued to hold that position after a series of suspect “landslide” victories, support for Russian President Vladimir Putin and a referendum that lifted the presidential term limit.

The US imposed sanctions last July that effectively cut Belarus off most financial institutions, trade and technology imports, targeting the Russian and Belarusian elite, including Putin and Lukashenko, who have been cut off from their financial assets.

The sanctions were imposed three months after the start of the Ukraine war, when Lukashenko ordered Ryanair Flight 4978 to be diverted to Minsk over an alleged security threat on board. A passenger of the Belarusian authorities arrested Roman Protasevich, claiming that he incited hatred and mass unrest in the country.

Belarus is now responding to “foreign states committing unfriendly acts” by legalizing piracy, with the proviso that if individuals or companies use pirated software, they must pay compensation to state bank accounts. The law reads, “After three years, compensation unclaimed by the rightholder or the collective property rights management organization shall be remitted by the patent authority to the Republican budget within three months,” TorrentFreak reported.

The story goes on

The law also states that the piracy law is a solution to “developing society’s intellectual, spiritual and moral potential” and “reducing critical shortages in the domestic market of food and other commodities,” according to the Odessa Journal.

The money paid out by those who access the pirated software is set by the lower house of the Belarusian parliament and sent to the patent authority, which keeps the money for three years. If the rights holders or the collecting societies do not claim the remuneration after this period, the Belarusian government will claim it.

The law will come into effect this week and will last for two years, ending on December 31, 2024.