President’s Administration can’t provide Yanukovych’s copyright agreement

The President’s Administration has informed Ukrainska Pravda that it does not have the agreement according to which President Yanukovych apparently sold rights to his books for 16.4 million UAH ($2 million).  As reported, the President’s income declaration posted on his official website claims that he earned the 16.4 million UAH in 2011 in copyright fees.  The money was supposedly from the Donetsk publisher Novy Svit, and not just for three books already published, but for any that he may write at a future date.

The President’s Administration answered a formal information request from Ukrainska Pravda, asserting that it could not be the holder of the information requested. It only confirmed that the above-mentioned money had been paid to the President by Novy Svit.

The payment was “for the copyright passed to this publisher on the books from 2005-2010 "A Year in Opposition, "; “In politics there are no final victories or defeats”; "A Year in Office, " and "How Ukraine Should Live Further, " as well as for literary works written in the future by Viktor Yanukovych”.

All the writers approached for their response said that there are no such copyright fees in Ukraine.

Some called the figure an attempt to legalize Yanukovych’s income.  When asked by journalists about the money last Sunday, President Yanukovych promised to give it  to charity.