Legal Issues

Legal Issues

by Mike Masnick




Drop That VoIP Phone And Put Your Hands Up

from the arrested-while-voiping dept

When VoIP was first getting attention a few years back, there were stories in a few different places where state run telecom providers were making sure that all internet telephony was banned because there simply could be no competition. It looks like a few countries still aren't over that ban. Broadband Reports notes that someone has been arrested by the KGB in Belarus for using and providing VoIP services. He's now been charged with causing $100,000 worth of damages to local telecoms by (gasp!) competing with them. What a terrible guy. Providing cheaper phone calls to the masses. String him up! The country is obviously a big supporter of entrepreneurship because they also charged him with "working as an entrepreneur without registration or permission." Admittedly, there is also an unexplained assertion that he "misappropriated funds," which obviously could be a more serious charge -- but it's buried after the other reports.

2 Comments | Leave a Comment..

 
 

Reader Comments

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  • Oct 19th, 2004 @ 4:42pm

    Is it so simple?

    by dorpus

    In those kind of countries, things are rarely black and white. Which agency does Mafter really work for? What is the real purpose of providing VoIP? Couldn't Chechen terrorists/mafia make use of this?

    (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

    • Oct 21st, 2004 @ 5:01am

      Re: Is it so simple?

      by Vic

      Bah, in Belarus there are no Chechen terrorists or mafia. It's the state that took over those extra functions. There was a big ruckus on the details of the arrest, but only now it came out that it was VOIP.

      (reply to this comment) (link to this comment)

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