The Russian publishing house Eksmo has reported that certain rights holders are unwilling to modify their titles to comply with a domestic law prohibiting the “propaganda” of drugs. At a recent press event, company head Yevgeny Kapyev described active talks with copyright owners, emphasizing the publisher’s intent to explore several adjustments rather than immediately pulling material from circulation. The situation places the publisher at the intersection of creative control and legal compliance, forcing a balance between contractual obligations to authors and the imperative to obey Russian law.
According to the publisher’s account, negotiations will include in-person meetings aimed at convincing rights holders to accept a range of possible interventions, from subtle text edits to more visible treatments. Eksmo framed these efforts as an attempt to avoid blanket bans while still adhering to the legal standard that outlaws content deemed to promote illegal substances. The company made clear that while it prefers compromise, the final boundary is legal compliance: if a title demonstrably violates the statute, the publisher believes it should not reach readers in its current form.
Publisher’s negotiation strategy
Kapyev outlined a strategy that prioritizes dialogue with creators and rights owners. The publisher intends to pursue multiple avenues—seeking voluntary revisions, offering technical redactions, and considering alternate presentations of content—to minimize disruption for readers and authors. Negotiations are described as both practical and formal: face-to-face discussions are planned to review proposals and present possible corrective steps. The emphasis on in-person talks reflects a desire to explain legal constraints clearly and to secure authorial consent for changes whenever possible, avoiding unilateral action that could spark disputes over intellectual property.
At the same time, Eksmo signaled readiness to implement edits where rights holders agree or to decline publication when material remains noncompliant. The publisher suggested a range of technical remedies, including selective redaction and textual clarifications, that might bring a book into alignment with the law without erasing its essential content. This approach is intended to maintain the integrity of titles while reducing legal risk, though Kapyev reiterated the red line: works that break the law should not be released unchanged.
Options being considered
Among the remedies mentioned are measures such as blackout sections, corrected passages, and other editorial fixes designed to remove or neutralize passages judged to promote drug use. The term blackout here refers to deliberate redaction of specific phrases or pages, while corrections would involve rewriting a passage to remove problematic endorsements or instructions. Rights holders have a critical role in approving these interventions; some are reportedly resistant to any alteration, preferring to preserve the original text even if that risks legal consequences or publication delays.
Legal and ethical considerations
Kapyev’s comments highlight the tension between legal compliance and creative rights: publishers must interpret the scope of the law while respecting authorial intent and international copyright norms. Eksmo insists on seeking a balance by offering compromises before refusing to publish, but also makes clear that compliance with the Russian law banning drug propaganda is non-negotiable. This stance underscores a broader industry challenge: navigating evolving regulatory frameworks without unduly compromising the freedom of expression that underpins publishing.
Translation transparency and reader guidance
Separately, the outlet carrying this report, Meduza, states a commitment to openness about its newsroom processes. The publisher notes that the English version of the story was produced by a staff journalist and translated with the assistance of a configured artificial intelligence model, reviewed by an editor to meet editorial standards. Readers are invited to report any errors via the provided contact [email protected], and to subscribe to Meduza’s English newsletter for exclusive coverage. This disclosure aims to reassure readers about accuracy and to explain the newsroom’s use of automated translation tools alongside human oversight.
