At Cebit, Russia signals plans to boost software exports

Mar 15, 2007, 11:39 GMT

Hanover, Germany - Russia aims to boost information technology exports to 10 billion dollars annually by 2010, Russian Telecommunications Minister Leonid Reiman said Thursday at the Cebit trade fair in Germany where Russia is this year's partner nation.

Currently Russia mainly exports oil, gas and steel, but hopes its highly educated engineers and computer specialists will bring it a major place in the world software and services business.

Reiman said Moscow was currently doing what it could to attract foreign investment in the sector. Dozens of Russian companies have stands at Cebit, which opened it doors Thursday for a seven-day run. It is the world's biggest combined computing and telecoms fair.

Reiman said the Kremlin would be improving intellectual property laws, which are a key concern for investors who worry that Russian staff or consumers might steal copyrighted ideas.

He said amending legislation was on the way to step up the fight against bootleg software, music files and digital videos. Copyright owners have complained that copying is rampant in both China and Russia and that the owners do not receive their royalties.

'Yes, it is a concern, and we know it,' said Reiman, speaking English. Moscow had to change some laws and also apply existing laws more rigorously. So far Russia had not been very successful against the piracy.

Russia's negotiations to join the World Trade Organization (WTO) have been hampered by the piracy issue, with the western music industry furious about an online music shop, AllofMP3, which offers tracks for download worldwide at bargain prices.

The shop insists it has rights to the music under Russian legislation and that downloads abroad are also legal.