Ukrainian Bureaucrat Rips Off Steve Jobs' Speech

03.08.2011
The former republics of the Soviet Union are infamous for their callous attitude toward the intellectual property of other nations. That attitude apparently extends to the highest levels of government, as a recent incident in the Ukraine suggests.

That country's Secretary of National Security and Defense Raisa Bogatyreva gave a speech to students at Konvokatsii Kiev-Mohyla Academy that sounded familiar to reporters at the . That's because it was. After some digging and translating, they discovered that the oration bore a remarkable resemblance to a speech given to Stanford University graduates by Steve Jobs in 2005.

Although the key points in Bogatyreva's speech appear fractured when translated into English, Russian publications and a translator for The Next Web agreed that the address bears more than just a passing resemblance to the one given by Apple's top dog.

According to a Google translation of a comparison of the two speeches appearing in Focus Ukraine, Bogatyreva said: "I am honored to be here with you today, the day when the graduates receive diplomas. In one of the best higher educational institutions of our country ... I want to share with you today the findings of [my] own life and [my] own political experience. There are three conclusions. Nothing is absolutely tremendous. There are three conclusions."

That, the publication noted, closely compares to Jobs' remarks: "I'm honored to be with you today for your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world.... Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories."

Bogatyreva also said: "Death approached me very closely. Closer than it is now, at my age.... Having lived through that moment, I can tell you-nobody wants to die."