Nokia has sent in the Russian coppers to reclaim one of its mobile phones from a blogger.
The Russian blogger in question should expect a visit from the Okhrana after he leaked pictures of the now public Nokia N8 mobile phone. Apparently requests to Eldar Murtazin to return the phone fell on deaf ears, which has led Nokia to confirm it has "contacted the Russian authorities" to assist it in retrieving the device.
Nokia is claiming that it is merely "defending our intellectual property by asking for the return of all unauthorised property in Mr. Murtazin's possession." It has, according to the firm, nothing to do with the vocal opposition by Murtazin towards Nokia and its products saying that "We have no issue with individuals voicing their opinions about our company and our products." Well that's good to hear, we're sure scribes all over the world can now sleep a little more comfortably.
Things turned a bit more sinister when the firm proclaimed, "you can be sure that we are prepared to take all appropriate and legal measures to protect our intellectual property." It went on to say that the firm was "not able to comment on what would or would not happen if the unauthorised property were returned." It's the sort of statement you would expect from Stalin before he sent dissenters to the Siberian gulags.
The mobile phone manufacturer has seen its market share dwindle due to its insistence to not take the smartphone market seriously and install the dated Symbian operating system on most of its high-end kit. While Murtazin was known as a blogger who authored numerous anti-Nokia pieces, the publicity and notoriety afforded to him by Nokia's actions will surely set him up for a windfall when he does resurface.
The firm might rightfully try and retrieve its equipment, but by getting the Russian police involved its heavy handed actions are sure to have more than a whiff ofSteve Jobs' tactics about them.
