Rambler Group wants to take away the most popular Nginx web server in the world from its founders. This is what the Internet community says about this

"Very bad signal to the community of programmers", "This disorganizes the business"

On Thursday, December 12, it became known about conducting searches among the founders of the NGINX IT company Igor Sysoev and Maxim Konovalov, who created the web server of the same name-the most popular in the world. Investigative actions were carried out as part of a criminal case initiated by the structures of businessman Alexander Mamut, co -owner of Rambler Group. This company believes that since Sysoev began working on his web server while still an employee of Rambler, then the right to him should belong to the Internet holding. Nginx was sold six months ago for 670 million dollars of the American Corporation F5 Networks. At the same time, Sysoev never hid that he began working on his project back in Rambler, but in his free time. Rambler’s actions, which the second co-founder of Nginx, Maxim Konovalov called the “racketeering”, caused fierce criticism among the Russian IT community-it unconditionally support Igor Sysoev, who has been distributing the main version of his open source web server for 15 years, that is, for free. Lawyers also call the situation "wild".

Yandex

Grigory Bakunov, Director of Technology Distribution

The events of the last days make us declare our position on the news around the Nginx project. We at Yandex believe that modern Internet is impossible without the Open Source culture and without people who invest their time in the development of open code programs. <...> The subject of the general pride of the Russian Open Source community is Nginx-the Igor Sysoev project. Today, Nginx is used more than thirty percent of the web pages and in almost all major Internet companies.

<...> Open code is the basis of the rapid development of Internet technologies. It is important that the wide range of developers remains the motivation to lay out their developments in Open Source and, thereby, jointly solve complex problems. Pursuit for open code is a very bad signal to the programmers to the community. We are absolutely convinced that all technological companies must support and develop an Open Source move.

Mail.Ru Group

<...> Not considering it possible to comment on corporate conflicts between other market participants, we want to say: we support the culture of open code and people who invest time and effort in the development of this direction.

We are sure that technological leaders must support the Open Source move and contribute to its development and the distribution of open quality products. This is one of the most important principles that move the Internet and technology forward.

Herman Gref

Sberbank President (owns 46.5% Rambler Group)

I don't like that this is a criminal proceedings. Such disputes, in my opinion, should be considered in the arbitration court.

Denis Kalinin

Former Director General Rambler Group

I knew that Igor was conducting his project. Everything in the company [Rambler] has some of its own projects. <...> I do not think that Rambler can now demand ownership of these products.

Ivan Zasursky

Former Deputy General Director of Rambler Group

There was no service task to create Nginx, as I remember, there was, therefore, according to the laws on copyright, the program belongs to the creator. I hope this case will be recognized as a mistake and closed. Otherwise, this will become a hint of all programmers to leave Russian jurisdiction. Is it possible to prove that Sysoev is guilty? You can, if you find an order for this work. Work in service time? He is not serf. Result? A shameful case without a judicial perspective.

Sergey Vasiliev

Former Chairman of the Board of Directors Rambler Group

I am directly related to this company [Rambler] and I well remember the events of those years [early 2000s]. It was the time of the rapid development of the Russian Internet and fierce competition between the players of the then players: Rambler, Yandex and Mail.ru. <...> In general, there were a lot of different things then, but I will say absolutely frankly - no tasks for developing a project similar to NGINX were not set by Rambler. I do not remember that one of the leaders of Rambler at that time said something about such a project and, especially, about the rights to it.

<...> And therefore it is very strange to hear now, in 2019, the allegations that the development of [nginx] was conducted by an employee of the Rambler in distant zero, somewhere between 2000 and 2004., of course, they can add a lot, but this will not change the truth. Rambler has nothing to do with Nginx.

"VKontakte"

Anton Rosenberg

*Former Deputy Technical Director of VKontakte *

About the fact that the whole thing with the sudden “discovery of the situation” after 15 years (and a few months later from the moment the company is sold for $ 670 million) with white threads, everyone has already written. Like the conclusions that Russian programmers will make from the situation with searches with the participation of machine gunners and the removal of equipment from one of the most famous Russian developers.

<...> Taking into account the administrative resource probably involved in the case, the thought involuntarily begs that the matter is not only and not so much in money. Perhaps someone upstairs, far from IT, suddenly found out that one of the most famous Russian products in the West was suddenly sold to the Americans? And this is contrary to someone's plans to replace the entire Russian software? Moreover, Nginx is used on 20-30% of sites in the world and more than 60% of projects in Russia.

Kirill Mittyan

Partner Nevsky IP Law, Candidate of Legal Sciences

It is very wild to make requirements about the situation 15 years ago - it disorganizes the business. The employer of the programmer may claim the exclusive right to the program in case it is an official, that is, created within the labor duties established for the employee.

Most likely, in the situation with Nginx, a “two -way” is played. First, in the framework of the criminal case, the fact of violation of exclusive rights will be proved. Unless, of course, evidence is obtained that it is easier to do in the criminal case than in the civil proceedings. Since losses are not paid to the copyright holder in the framework of the criminal case, then the lawsuit will be followed by the arbitration court to recover losses or compensation. At the same time, in the arbitration court, the plaintiff will already be exempted from the need to give facts about violation of his exclusive rights. Apparently, according to the idea of ​​the victim, such a “two -way” will increase the chances of winning the case and recover compensation.

HighLoad ++ Ground -loaded Systems Developers Program Committee of the Developers

The attack on Igor Sysoev, an outstanding programmer and creator of Nginx - a product distributed under a free license, that is, accessible to everyone for free use and study of the source code, is an egregious fact of aggression against the entire industry.

We express our support to Igor and want to especially note his contribution to the development of the industry. Igor laid the foundation for high -quality work more than 80% of all highly loaded Runet resources. He and his product became the catalyst that allowed Russian services to be competitive in the world market and occupy a leading position in matters of project development that withstand a lot of load.

<...> We also want to note that the claims to Open Source to the products in general, and Nginx, in particular, cast doubt on the economic security of the largest Russian and world services using Nginx and other Open Source products.

Alexander Chachava

LETA Capital Managing Partner

Often it will be heard that in Russia a terrible investment climate due to imperfect laws, corruption of security forces and judicial system, and inertness of officials. Not only that's why. When private companies involved in IT business begin to use the deficiencies in the system to solve their business tasks-this is really a vile blow under the breath to the domestic investment climate, which is already breathing incense.

I have no special illusions that our judicial and law enforcement systems will change and improve dynamically and improve, but it is more important for entrepreneurs to show solidarity, and to private companies, even the largest, consciously and conscientiously approach the choice of corporate struggle tools.

Nikolai Davydov

Gagarin Capital Foundation co -founder

What is happening now with the founders of Nginx is the next (in endless series) signal to all investors: “Do not stick into this country, do not invest with them, do not sign the contracts.” Many good people put all their strength to ensure that the Russians are normally perceived in the West. I devoted my whole career to this. But we will never achieve this goal, of course, it is very sad.

Kirill Varlamov

Director of the Development Fund for Internet Initiatives

A similar dispute should be resolved exclusively by civilized methods, as part of civil, and not criminal law. And the current approach only worsens the business climate in the country and turns away from us not only Western, but also Russian investors.

Kirill Ermakov

Technical Director QIWI

In my opinion, such actions do not play on the hands of Rambler Group. The project of Igor Sysoev had a significant impact on the entire Internet, and the current claims of the Rambler Group look at least unethical. We actively use Nginx in QIWI, and in this situation we are ready to sides this company.

Anton Stepanenko

OZON Platform Director

Nginx is one of the projects that is definitely proud of not only the Russian IT community, but also the international Open Source Community. We are convinced that disputes regarding intellectual rights need to be solved by negotiations, not power methods.

Denis Kryuchkov

Founder Habr.com

What can and will have the consequences of this story in the projection on the Russian Internet industry? <...> Startups will be more often incorporated not in Russia. There will be fewer people who want to start business in Russia. What is the point of starting a business in Russia, opening an office here, hire people, register intellectual property and conduct software development, if Siloviki can come to any time, arrest accounts and start interrogating. Because someone has an interest in your business, which has become big and important, and solve controversial issues in court for a long time and tedious.

Reactos project fund

The most precious thing that every person has is his life and time released to him. Everyone disposes of these resources in their own way. There is no second chance, you can not be born again, do not rewind the clock. Igor Syshesoev devoted to the day after almost 20 years of his life to be painstaking work to give people all mankind, perhaps the best web server from the existing ones. Igor was completely not obliged to publish the source of Nginx under a free license, but he did so voluntarily, it was his contribution to the change of our world for the better.

It is unlikely that Igor thought on the day when he published the source for the first time that Open Source would help him become a dollar billionaire. He probably did not think about how someday he would once fall on a par with other founding fathers of the Internet, such as Tim Berns Lee , Paul Baran or Bruster Cale . And this has come true: today, according to Netcraft, the number of sites served by NGINX has exceeded 447 million. And you can also use this web server for your site, this is a work of contemporary art, and completely free!

Therefore, ultimately, the money that Igor Sysosoev received happy was honestly earned by his own blood and that (and not on grief and suffering or slave labor of other people), he earned them! His Fields or Nobel Peace Prize if you want ...

In business, conflicts and friction always arise, its essence is in competition. But now an indefinite circle of very specific people wants not to win in an honest market struggle, but this group wants to trample the merits of Igor Systoev into the mud, depreciate, put the philanthropist with a thief, and assign his reward by law. Moreover, they are trying to do this not in the order of a conscientious applicant - in the arbitration court, but the most dirty way in the spirit of the 90s, with the involvement of the resource of power structures.

Nginx for us in Reactos Foundation has become an iconic example of how a humane way can earn money on software with open sources and at the same time give people the happiness of information and freedom to be themselves.

Help the fairy tale to stay! Do not allow the death of a free project!

Gathered Maria Kolomychenko