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posted by cmn32480 on Monday July 20 2015, @12:07AM   Printer-friendly
from the elon-musk-will-want-his-tech dept.

Dmitry Lopatin, a 26-year-old scientist who invented a cheap new kind of solar battery, has come across an unexpected obstacle. He was slapped with a three-year suspended jail sentence, for using banned materials in his invention. The researcher was facing 11 years behind bars, but the prosecutor's office dealing with the case agreed that a suspended sentence would suffice, the TASS news agency reported.

From rt.com:

Lopatin got in trouble with the authorities for using a solvent called gamma-Butyrolactone in order to make his solar batteries. It turned out this was a banned substance in Russia. He had placed a mail order for the solvent from China, and he was arrested when he went to collect it from the post office in June.

The researcher had tried to use a different substance, but found that it was too toxic to work with.

"In my work I was using a solvent which is toxic and can cause cancer. That is why I tried to find a substitute. I found one via the Internet and ordered it," he told RT.

"A month and a half later the parcel reached customs and I was called in and detained. Police launched a criminal case against me and I was interrogated. There were several court hearings. I chose to order from China because of the strict laws there. I had no idea that in China I could order a solvent which is banned in Russia."

Given that he is a researcher, is the use of the banned substance reasonable?


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  • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday July 20 2015, @12:56AM

    by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Monday July 20 2015, @12:56AM (#211230) Journal

    Given that he is a researcher, is the use of the banned substance reasonable?

    Is being a researcher the excuse de jour these days?

    Not wrapped in any institution (which might have caught the order), says this guy is some sort of free lance garage mechanic.

    Yeah, you know, nothing nowadays can be invented outside any institution.
    Perhaps this is why the prosecution wants him wrapped in prison, this will surely lend some credence to his research.

    TFA quotes:

    Lopatin had been working on a new type of flexible sun cell batteries for the last three years.
    ...
    The invention has attracted interest from a number investors, including the energy giant, Royal Dutch Shell, who saw Lopatin’s invention at the ‘Hello Tomorrow’ scientific summit, which took place in Paris in June. Dmitry was the only Russian participant at the event.

    --
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 20 2015, @01:42AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 20 2015, @01:42AM (#211246)

    So he is a drug dealer that got caught.

  • (Score: 2) by GungnirSniper on Monday July 20 2015, @01:56AM

    by GungnirSniper (1671) on Monday July 20 2015, @01:56AM (#211248) Journal

    Considering that Russia's economy has been largely growing thanks to oil and gas exports, it is not out of the question that his work upset someone powerful.

  • (Score: 2) by captain normal on Monday July 20 2015, @03:06AM

    by captain normal (2205) on Monday July 20 2015, @03:06AM (#211259)

    So he went to Amsterdam last year, then he ordered a compound that "...is used as a recreational intoxicant with effects similar to alcohol." from China. Nothing suspicious there, eh?

    --
    When life isn't going right, go left.
    • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday July 20 2015, @04:35AM

      by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Monday July 20 2015, @04:35AM (#211281) Journal

      then he ordered a compound that "...is used as a recreational intoxicant with effects similar to alcohol." from China

      If this is not an argument in favour of a "research use", I don't know what is.
      Because... why the f*** would a Russian want a more expensive vodka substitute?

      --
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford