Software piracy is one of the main concerns for every software developer, especially for the programs that are released with a shareware license because its creator can lose important money. One of the main targets for the software pirates was the Windows operating system, an application that was continuously updated by the software giant to be protected against hackers. As you may know, the latest versions of the products are released with the Windows Genuine utility that helps the operating system be safer against pirates. It forces the users of the computer to validate the Windows version so no pirated version can be used.

A recent study says that one of the countries with most pirates is Russia with 67% piracy level for musical records and 81% for films. Because the authorities tried to impose some rules that are infringed very often, the Russian parliament decided that it's the perfect time to make the software piracy punishments tougher.

"Russian lawmakers have gone ahead with their plan to toughen up available punishments for intellectual piracy. Russia's parliament, the Duma, has this Friday moved a step closer to adopting the necessary changes to the country's penal code that will mean significantly tougher sentences for piracy and copyright infringement. Now the Russian parliament has responded by classing piracy as a dangerous crime.

The maximum prison sentence for piracy and copyright infringement will now be increased from 5 to 6 years. Those found guilty of intellectual property crimes could now also face fines of up to 500,000 roubles (over $18,000) or up to the eqivalent of three years salary of the accused. However, some experts have already dismissed this as a token gesture, claiming that these significantly tougher laws will not be widely enforced in Russia, making them essentially irrelevant," according to Kaspersky Lab.