TinCan, it has nothing to do with Russia's economy. Its just that certain countries (Eastern Europe, parts of Asia) have very lax enforcement of piracy. You can buy pirated CDs on the streets, and its all out in the open. A person making $100 a month isn't going to ever consider buying Windows for $300, so the pirate industry is thriving. The government doesn't care, because the money isn't coming out of their pockets. The US (on behalf on the RIAA and similar organizations) has tried to get certain governments to crack down on piracy, but it has has little effect.