Report: Nginx’s owner calls searches irrational, secures software

MOSCOW, Dec 16 (PRIME) -- Searches of the web service Nginx’s Moscow office are pointless because its new owner U.S. firm F5 Networks had taken measures to secure its main products and codes, business daily Vedomosti reported on December 15, quoting F5 Networks as saying.

Law enforcers came to Nginx’s office on December 12 in search of a proof related to an argument on intellectual property, F5 said, adding that it is still trying to understand details of the investigation and no employee has been detained.

Nginx was designed in early 2000s by Igor Sysoyev, media holding Rambler’s former employee. Sysoyev together with another Rambler employee, Maxim Konovalov, established Nginx in 2011.

The case was initiated by Lynwood Investments, which represents interests of Rambler, which thinks that Nginx is a product of its former employee and any use of this program without Rambler’s consent violates its exclusive rights.

F5, which acquired the business in spring for U.S. $670 million, called Rambler’s claims pointless.

The U.S. company also said it had taken measures to secure its main software for Nginx, Nginx Plus, Nginx WAF and Nginx Unit shortly after the searches. They are all kept on the servers outside Russia, while the other products are not made in the country.

Konovalov earlier told Vedomosti that Rambler’s claims are “a dumb, direct racket.”

Internet company Yandex and top lender Sberbank, which owns half of Rambler, as well as other companies supported Nginx.

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