Readers of Pirated Books Not To Be Prosecuted in Russia

Readers downloading pirated copies of e-books will not be liable for prosecution, according to Vladimir Grigoryev, Head of the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media. "We have no intention to hold end users liable as is done in the U.S., for instance, where users downloading copyrighted material can end up in court. Responsibility will be on the owners of pirate websites while readers will be issued warnings," Grigoryev said. Piracy is a growing threat to the publishing industry. Combating piracy will initially require a series of precedents, the official said. Currently, 90% of books are downloaded illegally in Russia, which has resulted in the industry losing up to 4 billion rubles a year.

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