Posted on 07/26/2005 6:13:27 AM PDT by Born Conservative
Microsoft has stepped up its fight against software piracy by requiring users to verify their copies of the Windows operating system.
Anyone downloading updates for Windows XP will be required to check that their operating system is genuine.
Security updates are exempt from this in order to prevent people spreading viruses across the internet.
A third of software worldwide is fake, according to industry group, the Business Software Alliance.
Losing billions
Microsoft said that more than a third of its software is counterfeit, which it says costs it billions of dollars of lost income.
With Windows accounting for 90% of operating systems sold worldwide, cracking down on the pirates is one of the few ways for Microsoft to expand its business.
"This is another tool in our arsenal," said David Lazar, director of Genuine Windows for Microsoft.
Customers who discover that their copy of Windows is pirated have two options.
They can get a free version of Windows if they fill out a counterfeit report identifying the source of the software, providing proof of purchase and returning the counterfeit CD.
If they are unable to provide all the information, filling out a report will entitle them to receive a copy of Windows XP Home Edition for the reduced price of £56 or Windows XP Professional Edition for £86.
Genuine article
The new policy is part of Windows Genuine Advantage, a scheme set up by Microsoft in September to encourage people to use legitimate software.
The firm has been offering incentives, in the form of freebies such as photo slide-show software, to persuade people to use the service.
"We want to give customers a reason to purchase the genuine product," said Alex Hilton, anti-piracy manager for Microsoft.
So far, 45 million copies of Windows have been verified via the system, although Microsoft has, as yet, no figures to gauge what proportion of these failed the test.
Neither has it set a figure on the level it would like to see piracy reduced to.
"Aspirationally we want to remove piracy altogether and we feel the majority of people want to use our software legitmately," said Mr Hilton.
He advised anyone looking to purchase Windows XP to make sure they only do so via trusted shops and websites.
***If they are unable to provide all the information...***
chuckle!
So, I buy a CD from Joe Schmo, turn it in and tell 'em that Ferd Berfel sold it, manufacture a receipt from Ferd Berfel's Discount Software Emporium and Bait Shop, and get a licensed Windows disk?
I do quite a few installs and upgrades, probably 15 in the last couple of months. I haven't had any trouble with this feature. I'm kind of curious how they think they can tell. I suspect this is aimed primarily at XP versions that have been hacked to disable online activation.
You got to be kidding me.
It will be broken just like other protection schemes have been....all DVD protections, all CD protections, all software protections.....from the easiest (registration keys) to hardest (activation your product). They all have been broken.
They will find a way to ensure you are seen as having a "genuine" copy within a month.
I hope this works well for them and then other software vendors will be able to do similiar things. Other vendors have tried, but typically they fail as people see it as an intrusion on their "rights". However, something needs to be done to stop piracy. Think of how much money could be raised if just 1/2 of China paid for their software.
China will probably go to linux as it's a communist motivated platform. "From each according to their ability, to each according to their needs."
Working with former MS employees, they go so far as to say that MS could target your specific computer and restrict it from receiving updates, but that would require blacklisting licenses, some of which are legit. Additionally, privacy laws "shield" us from MS getting any identifiable information from our systems, but then again, do you really trust BG?
It will be interesting to see if this backfires on them.
If someone in the company is smart enough to figure out how to code something like this, somebody outside the company or a disgruntled employee inside is smart enough to figure out how they did it, and in turn, how to disable it.
I thought most of the pirated versions were of the Corporate Edition, which never required activation to begin with.
<< [Asians] will find a way to ensure you are seen as having a "genuine" copy within a month. >>
A month?
Get real.
They'll have it in their shops a month before Microsoft release whatever it is!
***"From each according to their ability, to each according to their needs."***
"Distributed" computing!
it is a price point issue NOT a priacy issue.
If it was easier to just buy a $10.00 legal copy vs a $200.00 legal copy there would be less piracy.
This is about preserving the price point not piracy.
Most of my installs and updates include MS Office. What possible reason do you have to doubt my statement.
The verification process is a nusance the first time through, but it takes about 30 seconds. I'm doing this as a consultant. I have no reason to worry about any of the software being illegal. In most cases I ordered it myself.
Just like Christian charities, huh?
Discontinued support doesn't mean you can't download updates. It just means they have stopped coding new updates. Win98 is discontinued, I think, but I have updated a Win98 machine within the last six months.
Win2000 is still going strong. It's what I have been using personally since it came out. It's still being sold.
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