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In Saint-Petersburg Chief of Military Topographic directorate of General Staff of RF Armed Forces suspected of illegal transfer of rights to intellectual property of the Russian Federation

Western Military District Military Investigation Directorate of Russia’s Investigative Committee has initiated a criminal case against Chief of Military Topographic directorate of General Staff of RF Armed Forces Rear-Admiral Sergey Kozlov. He is suspected of a crime under paragraph “c” of part 3 of article 286 of RF Criminal Code (exceeding official powers inflicting grave consequences).

According to investigators, in July 2010 Kozlov, being a head of navigation and oceanography department of RF Defense Ministry, gave to head of 280th Central Cartographic Enterprise of Defense Ministry Yuri Rozhkov an illegal order to conclude licensing agreements with OOO Chart-Pilot (LC) and ZAO Transzas (CJSC). According to provisions of the contracts, the said organizations received rights to intellectual property of the Russian Federation – nautical sea charts, which gave them the right to distribute electronic nautical charts within the format of International Hydrographic Organization. As a result of illegal use of objects under Russian Federation copyright, the state has suffered a damage of more than 9.5 million rubles.

At present investigation operations are under way to establish all circumstances of the crime. Investigation is to be continued.