Porn protest writer loses fight

Sorokin is one of Russia's brightest talents

Russian novelist Vladimir Sorokin has lost his copyright battle against protesters who staged a public burning of his book.

Goluboye Salo - or Blue Bacon Fat - features a sex scene involving clones of former Soviet leaders Josef Stalin and Nikita Krushchev.

A Moscow court ruled the shadowy pro-Kremlin youth movement Moving Together had not violated his copyright by publishing extracts of the work.

Sorokin has many supporters

Protesters gave the extracts to passers-by while announcing they were launching a prosecution for pornography.

The court said the youth movement had not violated Sorokin's copyright last June, in a ruling contested by the writer and his publisher Ad Marginem.

A lawyer for Ad Marginem, Alexander Glushenkov, said his client would appeal against the decision.

Sorokin was questioned by police over his novel after Moving Together movement launched its campaign.

The movement - which says it has 50,000 members - has branded Sorokin, one of Russia's brightest literary talents, a harmful influence on the nation's youth.

Activists typically wear T-shirts with the face of Vladimir Putin on them.

Varied support

Sorokin faces two years in jail and a fine if convicted over his controversial futuristic 1999 novel.

He refused to answer questions when arrested, dismissing the affair as "absurd, vicious and humiliating".

But the campaign against has seen sales soar, and Sorokin has received support from many quarters.

The writer has dismissed the campaign as politically motivated, and liberal politicians have warned of a return to Soviet-era censorship.

Some in the literary community are also worried that the affair could damage Russia's reputation abroad.