Microsoft Puts Anti-Piracy Drive into Top Gear

In an effort to curtail piracy of its products worldwide, Microsoft Corp. has expanded its Windows Genuine Advantage Program making it mandatory for users to verify their copies of software before being eligible to download updates from Microsoft Download Centre.

WGA is designed to differentiate the value of genuine Windows software from counterfeit software, enable customers to enjoy the capabilities they expect from their software and provide them with the confidence that their software is authentic, and delivers ongoing system improvements available only to genuine users.

Microsoft has been testing the program since September and has validated more than 48 million systems so far, said David Lazar, director of Genuine Windows for Microsoft. Until now the program has been voluntary.

The validation process works through a small utility program called an ActiveX control that can check the authenticity of a Windows copy. People seeking to download programs and updates from Microsoft will be prompted to first authenticate their copy of Windows by downloading that ActiveX control.

Customers who discover they have a counterfeit copy of Windows will either be given a free version of the operating system or can purchase it for a discounted price, he said.

To get the free version of Windows, a customer must fill out a counterfeit report identifying the source of the software, provide a proof of purchase and send in a counterfeit CD of the software. If customers don’t have all of that information, they can still fill out a counterfeit report and receive a copy of Windows XP Home Edition for $ 99 or a copy of Windows XP Professional Edition for $ 149, Lazar said.

"Aspirationally we want to remove piracy altogether and we feel the majority of people want to use our software legitmately," said Mr Hilton, anti-piracy manager at Microsoft.

He advised anyone looking to purchase Windows XP to make sure they only do so via trusted shops and websites.