Russia v. Microsoft:

Some 650 miles east of Moscow, a Russian judge found the principal of a school guilty of pirating Microsoft software to the benefit of the children in his school. The sentence: guilty but no jail time and no fine. The judge ruled that the damage to Microsoft was too insignificant measured against Microsoft's world-wide profits.

Russia, as The New York Times points out, is rolling in cash as a result of its vast oil and natural gas resources, but the folks who benefit from these riches have no intention of sharing the wealth by helping to educate the youth of their country, especially in the deep backwaters. Pirating goods and services, especially those coming from the west, is a way of life in Russia.

Of course it's difficult to muster much sympathy for Microsoft, a company that has been found guilty repeatedly of its own infractions against the laws of many nations, through which it has enriched itself and its owners.

On the other hand, the principal might have simply downloaded a free copy of Linux, complete with OpenOffice and all of the other free software available, and he could have avoided the whole issue. Then he would have really made a statement about Microsoft.

It's worth noting that how this trial has worked out might tell us here in the west something about the Russian national character that we've failed to pay attention to in the past.