NEWS Microsoft has announced what it hopes will be a new attack on piracy - the Redmond-based giant has decided to give away free software to those who bought machines with fake copies pre-installed.
Microsoft will be offering anyone who's "unsure" about whether they've got dodgy software the chance to have it checked out by Microsoft, with the promise that if it does turn out to be counterfeit, they'll replace it.
The deal only covers Windows XP and only five copies per person can be swapped. It's all free, bar the initial postage and package. The offer only applies to pre-installed home or professional Windows XP bought before 1 November and is only available to UK customers.
Alex Hilton, Microsoft's licence compliance manager, said the bulk of piracy seen by Microsoft was in the OEM (original equipment manufacturer) sector.
"Some examples we're seeing from the Far East and eastern Europe... are very high quality", Hilton said, and are aimed at the high-end user. "That's the sector we're trying to address."
Hilton also said that anyone found with the pirate programme won't suffer legal repercussions but their suppliers might. "Our goal is not to prosecute the individual, our goal is to get to the source," he said, adding that a decision on prosecution would be made on a case by case basis.
While Microsoft is hoping to get some idea of the extent of piracy in the UK with the programme, it seems consumers' might be even more interested.
When Redmond launched its Windows Genuine Advantage program to let its customers check if they'd bought genuine software, it thought only 20,000 people would take it up on its offer. After a month, more that 800,000 had.
To get a replacement copy of Windows XP, PC users will need to send off their receipt and complete a witness statement, revealing where they bought their knock-off software. More information can be found here.
Around 29 per cent of software applications in use in the UK are thought to be pirated, according to analyst group IDC.
Comments
There are 13 comments. Join the discussion
1. anonymous
Most likely, if the copy of XP is illegal, the code might have been written by people who don't work at Microsoft. If that is the case, it probably be more stable than the legal verson.
2. Malcolm Ripley
Great, the cheapest way to get a new PC with XP yet invented. Step1, Purchase a PC without an OS. Step 2, go round to the local pirate market (Barras Glasgow for example) and install it. Step 3, ask Microsoft to verify if its genuine or not and get a free replacement!
How dumb an idea can you get....still it is Microsoft were talking about ;-)
3. anonymous
That's like a kick in the teeth for anyone that went out and bought copies, if anything this is like saying "go out and get a pirated copy for a fraction of the price, and we'll upgrade you to a genuine copy for free....
4. anonymous
Haven't you missed the point? The deal is for you to furnish a purchase receipt for hardware with XP pre-installed. I think what is proposed would get Microsoft on your necks. Surely MS should offer non-commercial users a cheap version of XP Pro for, say, £30. the awfully high price must tempt many to buy CDs at boot sales.
5. Tim Brading
Microsoft have stated you need to produce a receipt. If you buy a PC with no OS, I doubt if it would show the OS on the receipt would it? Give Microsoft a break here, piracy IS a problem for all software developers. At least MS are tackling the issue. Previous posters attitudes just do not help in the battle against piracy.
6. Iris Sven
The truth is that many programmers out there and many parts of the organizations they work for pirate software. Piracy of software is similar to music,both in motivations and in distribution. The programmers STILL get paid the same amount regardless of the sales, and with M$ they STILL get layed off after the project is over so some guy in New Delhi can take their job later. Most of the pirates out there work for or with M$ on some level (vendor, developer, distributor, low-paid employee at a one of the above, etc). Yes, piracy costs EVERYBODY (who chooses that particular product) money, but it honestly affects small business the most (shareware developers and the like). For M$ and larger companies they should STOP pricing their products based on what it was valued for in the 90's, and revalue it based on todays current technology options and economic situations.
7. Ron Enderland
Kind of ironic, isn't it? Hardware prices have plummeted, yet MS is selling OS's and office apps at 10-year old prices. When you look at their profits, and their exec salaries, how do you feel about paying 100-200 bucks for an OS, or over $400 for an office suite? Hey, my home machines will be running Linux within a year. Let's see how much Windows costs when more borderline geeks like me (who once feared Linux, but have been learning it the last few months) make the switch to open source.
8. anonymous
Go get Linux instead...
9. robert
We were pursued my MS for the full retail price of several copies of software we had genuinely purchased for our customers in good faith over a two-year period. We had invoices to back up our purchases and had no inkling that the company we were dealing with were crooks. M$'s approach was that if they could not get the money back from the crooks who supplied us, they would recover it from us regardless.
We were pretty miffed by their heavy handed tactics, but didn't fancy a fight in the courts against one of the most agressive and poweful companies in the world, our solicitors agreed, so we paid up.
Nor did they offer to provide the genuine copies, despite us having paid the full retail to them for it. So we paid many times over for being duped. :o(
Apparently their most profitable product is the Office suite.
I made a pledge after that not to sell another MS product if I could avoid doing so, and these days I encourage anyone who asks, to download open office at www.openoffice.org for free. It reads and writes word and excel files transparently and it runs on XP or LINUX. Having totted up the number of customers we now have running LINUX systems, I am confident that their muscle-bound tactics has now cost them more than they extracted out of my company.
10. blessing claudio
yourlatest news is quite informative
11. George Silvio
I do not know how giving a good Window XP to someone witch has a pirated version is helping the fight against piracy. If you ask me i think this is just going to encourage pirates to give more pirated licences to people asuring them tha MS will upgrade it to an original one.
12. Awakened in 2002
There is only one real solution!
Apple Computer Company.
Macintosh + OS X = Victory
Microsoft can have all their illegal and legal software back, OSX is soooo much better anyway. Once you Mac, you NEVER go back!
13. maurice hickup
im no computer genius but i learn very quickly.i bought my computer ,packardbell,on Ebay about 7yrs.ago and used it on the net for about 2 yrs. without problems.i recently went adsl.on the net again and was updated automaticaly by Microsoft update.my system crashed fataly and i could only Fdisk+Format my computer reloading windows XP Pro with the Copy Disk and code i was given with computer.i loaded updates "custom"one by one, and found problem 1.SP is my first KILLER and will not load .avoiding sp2 i then get the "validation " download ,not nowing what to expect i continued ,of course it turn out my version is not "genuine"and i exited the questionaire early.Guess what, next day my computer went into a Bios- Restart loop.this is probably all just coinsidence but.........No SP2 or VALIDATION TOOL and no problems!!!Ihave to say im looking at LINUX.