Subj : Re: How much should I charge for fixed-price software contract? To : comp.programming From : Gerry Quinn Date : Sat Aug 20 2005 01:51 pm In article , invalid@address.co.uk.invalid says... > Gerry Quinn wrote: > > I trust that you have never been inconvenienced by users of other fine > > Elcomsoft products such as 'Advanced Email Extractor", "Advanced Direct > > Remailer", and "Advanced NT Security Explorer". > Are these more examples of Russian software being produced in Russia by > Russian nationals under Russian law? I assume so, but they only came to my attention when English-language versions were offered for sale worldwide. > > If you had been, you might be a little less indignant at the fact of > > Sklyarov being sued for his part in the production and sale in the US > > of "Advanced eBook Processor". > If he broke American copyright law (and that's very much in doubt, since the > program he wrote was written in Russia under Russian law, not in the USA > under USA law), then by all means let Adobe sue him, and let a judge decide > whether he has broken US law /whilst on US soil/. But Adobe had him > /imprisoned/. That's a very different matter indeed. The program, on the face of it, violates the DMCA - there was certainly a case to answer. The crime he was accused of specifically related to copies sold in the US. I imagine that when a foreign national on a visit is arrested on a serious charge, the possibility of him fleeing the jurisdiction is considered a live one by police forces everywhere. However, Sklyarov was released on bail after three weeks, and eventually allowed to leave the country. He got off lightly enough, in my view. - Gerry Quinn .