New Delhi, The Russian authorities are discussing the possibility of abolishing criminal and administrative liability for the use of unlicensed software "from countries that supported the sanctions."

Kommersant reported this with reference to the Russian Ministry of Digital Development.

The possibility is being considered "in case of emergency, use proprietary software without the consent of the patent owner", the RT reported citing Kommersant's report.

"In terms of exemption from liability for the use of unlicensed software, we advocate a balanced approach in order to stimulate the transition to Russian software," the Russian ministry said.

As specified, "exemption from liability is proposed to be discussed only for products where there are clearly no Russian analogues now."

Earlier, Microsoft decided to suspend sales of goods and services in Russia.