Article 1280. The Free Use of Computer Programmes and Databases. Decompiling Computer Programmes

1. The person that legally possesses a copy of a computer programme or database (user) is entitled to do the following without the author's or other right holder's consent and without paying out a fee:

1) making amendments to the computer programme or database exclusively for the purpose of running it on the user's hardware and, and carrying out the actions required for running the computer programme or database in accordance with the intended purpose thereof, including storing and saving in a computer memory (of one computer or one network user), and also correcting obvious errors, except as otherwise envisaged by the contract concluded with the right holder; 2) making a copy of the computer programme or database, provided this copy is intended only for archiving purposes or for replacing the legally acquired copy if the copy is lost, destroyed or inoperable. In this case, the copy of the computer programme or database shall not be used for purposes other than those mentioned in Subitem 1 of the present item, and it shall be destroyed if the possession of the copy of the computer programme or database is no longer legal.

2. The person legally possessing a copy of a computer programme is entitled to do the following without the right holder's consent and without paying out a fee: to study, research or test the operation of the programme for the purpose of assessing the ideas and principles underlying any component of the computer programme by means of carrying out the actions envisaged by Subitem 1 of Item 1 of the present article.

3. The person legally possessing a copy of a computer programme is entitled to do the following without the right holder's consent and without paying out a fee: to reproduce and convert the compiled code into the initial text (to decompile the computer programme) or to instruct other persons to carry out such actions if the are needed for enabling a programme independently developed by this person for a computer to interact with the other programmes which can interact with the programme decompiled, provided the following conditions are observed:

1) the information required for enabling the interaction has not been available for this person from other sources;

2) the said actions are committed only in respect of those portions of the decompiled computer programme which are needed for enabling the interaction;

3) the information obtained as the result of the decompilation may only be used to enable the interaction of the independently developed computer programme with other programmes, it shall neither be transferred to other persons, except for cases when it is required for enabling the interaction of the independently developed computer programme with other programmes, nor be used for developing a computer programme of a kind significantly similar to the computer programme decompiled or for committing another action infringing the exclusive right to the computer programme.

4. The application of the provisions of the present article shall neither cause unjustified damage to the normal use of a computer programme or database nor infringe without grounds on the lawful interests of the author or another right holder.