MP assessed the adopted law on free performance of war songs on Victory Day

The adoption of a law on the public performance and broadcasting of musical and other works glorifying the exploits of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War without the consent of the right holder and without paying him monetary remuneration on Victory Day and other memorable dates is a restoration of historical truth, according to one of the co-sponsors of the initiative, State Duma deputy Alexei Govyrin (United Russia). He told "Izvestia" on December 13.

On December 11, the State Duma passed a law in the second and third readings, which will allow free performance of works about the Great Patriotic War on Victory Day and other memorable dates.

"Now the rights to war songs are mostly owned by heirs of the authors or by strangers who bought the rights. Not all of them are patriots. For example, one of the right holders, a citizen of Poland, requests up to €15 thousand for each performance, others live in the U.S. and pelt the courts with lawsuits, blocking the use of works, even if the song wants to be performed by children at a concert on Victory Day," Govyrin explained.

The adopted document allows the free use of any works about the Great Patriotic War, published before December 26, 1991, without the consent of the author and payment of royalties, he said.

"As a co-author of the law, I believe that this is a restoration of historical truth and the real authors of great songs would unequivocally support our law," the parliamentarian noted.

On November 28, First Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Sergei Kirienko said that it is important to nurture the sense of patriotism in a person by passing it from the older generation to the younger, from adults to children, thus setting them a personal example. According to him, knowledge can also be transmitted to a person by inanimate carriers - with the help of a book or other modern electronic gadgets. However, even in them the information is initially laid down by a person.