Elektronorgtechnica

{{Short description|Defunct Soviet state-owned trading company}} {{Infobox company | name = Elektronorgtechnica | logo = Elorg_logo.png | type = | industry = Import/export of electronics | fate = Sold to The Tetris Company in 2005 | predecessor =  | successor = | founded = 1971 | founder =  | defunct = 2005 | hq_location_city = Moscow | hq_location_country = Russia | area_served =  | key_people = | products = | owner =  | num_employees = | num_employees_year =  | parent = Ministry of Foreign Trade of the USSR (until 1989) | website =  }} thumb|Integrated circuits with the logo of Elektronorgtechnika '''Elektronorgtechnica''' (also spelled ''Electronorgtechnica'', {{langx|ru|Всесою́зное Объедине́ние «Электро́норгтехника»|Vsesoyúznoye Obyedinéniye "Elektrónorgtekhnika"}}), better known abbreviated as '''ELORG''' (Элорг), was a state-owned organization with a monopoly on the import and export of computer support and hardware and software in the Soviet Union.<ref name="kom95">{{cite news|title=Интеллектуальная собственность / Тетрис|url=http://kommersant.ru/doc/11471|access-date=17 September 2017|work=Kommersant|date=12 September 1995|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170918064619/https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/11471|archive-date=18 September 2017}}</ref> It was controlled by the Ministry of Foreign Trade of the USSR from 1971 to 1989.<ref>{{cite web|title=Список министерств и ведомств, их структурных подразделений и подведомственных организаций, документы которых переданы|url=http://economy.gov.ru/wps/wcm/connect/cf224939-c861-4a3d-8d37-1a11d3bb36ca/archlist2016.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CACHEID=cf224939-c861-4a3d-8d37-1a11d3bb36ca|publisher=Economy.gov.ru|access-date=17 September 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170917214129/http://economy.gov.ru/wps/wcm/connect/cf224939-c861-4a3d-8d37-1a11d3bb36ca/archlist2016.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CACHEID=cf224939-c861-4a3d-8d37-1a11d3bb36ca|archive-date=17 September 2017}}</ref>

The company was associated with the export of Soviet design calculators, Electronika being one brand that was exported, rebranding them as ELORG products.<ref>[http://www.taswegian.com/MOSCOW/contentsassorted.html Museum of Soviet Calculators on the Web - Export and Foreign] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060615093316/http://www.taswegian.com/MOSCOW/contentsassorted.html |date=2006-06-15 }}, accessed June 1, 2006</ref> Elorg also marketed the Agat computer,<ref>{{cite journal|title=New Chips|journal=Byte Magazine|date=1984|volume=9|issue=12|url=https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1984-11/1984_11_BYTE_09-12_New_Chips#page/n135/mode/1up|access-date=17 September 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170217095727/https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1984-11/1984_11_BYTE_09-12_New_Chips#page/n135/mode/1up|archive-date=17 February 2017}}</ref> and imported IBM computers into the Soviet Union, starting with the IBM System/360 Model 50 in 1971.<ref>{{cite news|title=Чаепитие в честь 20 лет IBM на российском рынке|url=https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/6669|access-date=17 September 2017|date=7 September 1992|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170918020958/https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/6669|archive-date=18 September 2017}}</ref>

Robert Maxwell pressured Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev to cancel the contract between Elorg and Nintendo concerning the rights to the game franchise ''Tetris''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ichbiah |first=Daniel |title=La Saga des Jeux Vidéo |language=fr |year=1997 |publisher=Pix'N Love Editions |edition=1st |page=95 |isbn=2266087630}}</ref>

In 1991, as the Soviet Union was being dissolved, Elorg was turned into a private business by its director, Nikolai Belikov.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Books|first1=Worth|title=Summary and Analysis of The Tetris Effect: The Game that Hypnotized the World: Based on the Book by Dan Ackerman|date=2017|publisher=Open Road Media|isbn=9781504008716|page=30|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FpmxDgAAQBAJ&pg=PT30|language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170921214120/https://books.google.com/books?id=FpmxDgAAQBAJ&pg=PT30|archive-date=2017-09-21}}</ref> Elorg was sold to The Tetris Company in January 2005 for $15 million.<ref>{{cite web|title=CASE NO. 12-2-23972-0 SEA|url=http://www.summitlaw.com/uploads/pdf/2014-07-17-belikov-memorandum-opinion.pdf|website=Summitlaw.com|access-date=21 September 2017|page=5|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170921214120/http://www.summitlaw.com/uploads/pdf/2014-07-17-belikov-memorandum-opinion.pdf|archive-date=21 September 2017}}</ref>

==Tetris== thumb|Elorg copyright notice on the back cover of the 1987 edition of Tetris ELORG was responsible for the licensing of the popular video game series ''Tetris''.<ref>[http://www.atarihq.com/tsr/special/tetrishist.html Atari HQ: Tetris History] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120507094323/http://www.atarihq.com/tsr/special/tetrishist.html |date=2012-05-07 }}, accessed June 1, 2006</ref> ''Tetris'' was written by salaried programmers at the Soviet Academy of Sciences, which was not allowed to carry out commercial activities directly.<ref name="kom95"/> As the game was owned by the state, all rights to the game worldwide were handled by ELORG.<ref>[http://vadim.oversigma.com/Tetris.htm "Tetris Story"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060821183909/http://vadim.oversigma.com/Tetris.htm |date=2006-08-21 }} by Vadim Gerasimov, accessed April 15, 2007</ref> In 1996 ELORG was reportedly a privatised Russian company which retained the rights to the ''Tetris'' trademark.<ref name="PR">[http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=34683 PR Newswire - "Tetris Inventor Gets His Due in Historic Russia/US Joint Venture"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120212231337/http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=34683 |date=2012-02-12 }}, accessed June 1, 2006</ref><ref>[http://www.arkmay.com/tetris/articles/alexey.html The Tetris Taxonomy - "Putting the puzzle pieces back together: Alexey Pajitnov has a new game plan for Tetris."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060622032234/http://arkmay.com/tetris/articles/alexey.html |date=2006-06-22 }}, accessed June 1, 2006</ref>

ELORG was a partner in The Tetris Company which licenses the ''Tetris'' name to game companies, along with ''Tetris'' creator Alexey Pajitnov and businessman Henk Rogers. Elorg was a 50 percent owner in the company until Rogers and Pajitnov bought ELORG's remaining rights around 2005.<ref name="urlRock around the blocks - The Globe and Mail">{{cite news |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/rock-around-the-blocks/article1171379/page2/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130204022009/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/rock-around-the-blocks/article1171379/page2/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 4, 2013 |title=Rock around the blocks - The Globe and Mail |access-date=2011-02-17 |location=Toronto |first=Matt |last=Hartley |date=2009-06-06 }}</ref><ref name="gamasutra_man_won_tetris">{{cite web |url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/the-man-who-won-tetris |title=The Man Who Won Tetris |publisher=Gamasutra |date=2009-09-10 |author=Remo, Chris |access-date=2014-04-17 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140418234540/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/132518/the_man_who_won_tetris.php |archive-date=2014-04-18 }}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}} {{Portalbar|Companies|Russia}} {{Authority control}} Category:Service companies of the Soviet Union Category:Computing in the Soviet Union Category:Computer companies of Russia Category:Defunct computer hardware companies Category:Defunct computer systems companies Category:Companies based in Moscow Category:Defunct companies of Russia Category:Electronics companies disestablished in 2005 Category:Electronics companies established in 1971 Category:Ministry of Foreign Trade (Soviet Union) Category:1971 establishments in the Soviet Union Category:2005 disestablishments in Russia