Telecom operators in Russia say they do not wish to pay royalties to copyright associations.
Kommersant reports that Pioneer TV, a cable operator based in the Smolensk region that also produces its own channels, has complained to the Prosecutor General’s Office and Ministry of Culture about demands by the Russian Authors’ Society (RAO) for payments.
In its view, such demands are contrary to the law, with the Civil Code says nothing about payments from operators who are providing services to broadcasters.
Pioneer TV also says that a draft decree, the latest version of which was published by the Ministry of Culture in July, runs counter to the Civil Code.
Separately, the court for intellectual property rights has ruled in favour of the cable operator ER Telecom in a dispute with RAO and the All-Russian Intellectual Property Organisation (VOIS).
