Microsoft Begins New Piracy Restrictions

[zero2dash]

Two articles on this...one is AP, the other is Reuters.
AP (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050726/ap_on_hi_te/microsoft_piracy)


REDMOND, Wash. - Microsoft Corp. has kicked off a new program aimed at severely curtailing the ways people using pirated copies of its Windows operating system can get software updates.

When a computer user starts to download updates, the new program, called Windows Genuine Advantage, will scan the machine to see if it's running an authentic version of Windows.

If the program detects a counterfeit copy, it will offer two options:

Customers who fill out a piracy report, provide proof of purchase and send in the counterfeit CDs will get a free copy of Windows Home Edition, which retails for $199, or Windows Professional, which sells for $299.

Those who simply submit a piracy report — giving details of when, where and from whom the operating system was purchased — and send in the counterfeit copy will get either version of Windows at half price.

The authentication process was optional until Monday. From now on, it will be required for all software updates except security patches.

After prompting customers that their operating systems need to be authenticated, the program will scan the computer, detecting the product number automatically — unless, of course, it's a fake.

Will Poole, a senior vice president in Microsoft's Windows division, said more than 40 million customers took part in the pilot.

The world's largest software maker did not disclose how many pirated copies of Windows it has rooted out since the program began as a pilot program last September.

Reuters (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050726/tc_nm/microsoft_windows_dc_2;_ylt=Ai3DoiazCMBdXMAoTlM8w99k24cA;_ylu=X3oDMTA2ZGZwam4yBHNlYwNmYw--)

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp. is adopting more stringent controls for registering legitimate copies of its flagship Windows operating system in an effort to curtail piracy of its products worldwide, the world's largest software maker said on Tuesday.

Microsoft expanded its "Windows Genuine Advantage" program, requiring users of its software to verify their copies of software in order to receive add-ons to Windows XP.

Security-related updates to its software, which are used to plug software flaws exploited by viruses and hackers, will be exempt so that all users can avoid infection and, in turn, spreading viruses across the Internet, said David Lazar, director of Microsoft's Windows Geniune program.

"This is another tool in our arsenal," said Lazar, adding that a third of installed Windows programs worldwide are pirated copies.

Microsoft initially began the program on a trial basis last fall, and expanded it to more than 20 countries in February. Microsoft is targeting software piracy in places such as China, Norway and the Czech Republic, where the use of pirated software is more widespread.

Microsoft said it was trying to reclaim revenue that the company and its reseller lose due to piracy, which it said resulted in billions of dollars in lost income.

Microsoft said, however, that it would no longer require legitimate Windows users to enter a product code, a string of 25 numbers and letters, in order to verify that a copy of Windows is legitimate. Instead, Microsoft said it will check hardware data to verify that multiple copies of Windows aren't being installed on different personal computers.

Customers whose copies of Windows are found to be pirated have two options: send in a pirated CD and fill out a piracy form to receive a legitimate copy for no charge; or, in the case that there is no CD or proof of purchase, buy a new copy of Windows XP Home for $99 or Windows XP Professional for $149.

I'm wondering what this "form" looks like.
Where do you live??? What time are you home? Do you answer the door if you see several men dressed in black carrying guns? :heh:

[Merlin]

So all I need to do is find a copy of Windows on a P2P system and I can use that to get the real thing for half off. Cool.

[bachviet]

So all I need to do is find a copy of Windows on a P2P system and I can use that to get the real thing for half off. Cool.
:stupid:

[mcs328]

Hmm...I wonder what the impact for people who have educational versions from a brother who got it at a discounted academic price. Don't they have unlimited licenses?

[Itsme]

Looks like they will look for more than a legal operating system...see below.

By SIMON AVERY

Tuesday, July 26, 2005 Updated at 5:17 AM EDT

From Tuesday's Globe and Mail

The next time you visit the website of Microsoft Corp. to download some software, be prepared to let the world's biggest software company have a look inside your computer.

In a determined strike to quell the proliferation of counterfeit software, beginning today, Microsoft will require that all customers coming to its website for upgrades and other downloads submit their computers to an electronic frisking.

If you use one of the estimated hundred million PCs running pirated software, don't expect your upgrade. For Microsoft, the new policy is a stepped-up effort to combat the loss of billions of dollars worth of software sales every year to counterfeiters around the world. But in ramping up efforts to fight piracy, the Redmond, Wash.-based behemoth already finds itself fending off critics over privacy.

"It sets an extremely negative precedent," Pam Dixon, executive director of World Privacy Forum, a non-profit public-interest research centre in San Diego, said of the company's initiative. "Microsoft is saying, 'Before I let you do anything at all, you have to open your computer to us.' I really object to this."

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The company will scan machines for a variety of information, including product keys or software authorization codes, operating-system version and details on the flow of data between the operating system and other hardware, such as printers.

It is access to this information that particularly upsets the privacy advocates. Ms. Dixon says the only information Microsoft needs to fight piracy is the product key and the operating-system version, and she says that Microsoft will be able to identify users uniquely based on some of the information the company collects.

"They are grabbing more information than they need to deter piracy," she said.

If Microsoft deems a PC to be carrying contraband code, it won't allow a user to download Microsoft programs, with the exception of security patches. But the software company — which says that more than one in five U.S. computers runs a counterfeit version of its Windows product — is not just waving a stick. It is also offering a big carrot.

Microsoft said it will give a free copy of its Windows XP to customers who unknowingly bought a counterfeit version of the operating system and who fill out a piracy report, provide proof of purchase and send Microsoft the counterfeit CDs.

Customers who cannot provide proof of purchase but file a piracy report will receive a substantial discount on a legitimate version of the operating system, said Tim Prime, a product manager in the Windows client group at Microsoft Canada Co., a subsidiary of the U.S. company.

Executives at Microsoft reject any suggestions that the move will antagonize customers with privacy concerns.

"Customers want to know whether retailers have sold them genuine software," Mr. Prime said.

More than 40 million users agreed to have their systems scanned in a 10-month trial that began last September in several countries. The participation rate amounted to 58 per cent of all visitors to the pilot website, far exceeding Microsoft's expectations of just 10 per cent, Mr. Prime said.

Microsoft said no personal data will be collected during the validation process, and information will remain completely anonymous. The company said it commissioned TÜV-ITÖ, an independent German security auditor, to test how well its Windows Genuine Advantage program protects customers' data, and the firm concluded that Microsoft does not collect any personal information that would allow it to identify or contact a user.

Seth Schoen, a staff technologist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a civil liberties group in San Francisco specializing in technology issues, agreed that Microsoft would not be able to identify customers personally through the program. But the data collected are unique to every customer, just as human fingerprints are unique, and the issue becomes how long the company holds onto the details and whether they could become personally identifying later on, he said.

Technology companies have walked a fine line for years on the issue of collecting information from consumers' computers. Six years ago, RealNetworks Inc., whose software plays audio and video content on the Internet, released a patch for its RealJukebox program after the public learned the software was relaying personal information about users to the company.

More recently, Google Inc. created a privacy backlash when it said its free e-mail service, Gmail, would include special software that inserts ads into personal e-mails based on their content.

Clearly, Microsoft believes any risk of public-privacy concerns are worth incurring to fight a problem that has turned into an epidemic in some parts of the world.

Microsoft has been fighting counterfeit efforts for years with limited success. It says that 35 per cent of the world's computers run counterfeit software and that piracy cost the global software industry $41-billion in 2004.

The Canadian Alliance Against Software Theft and the Business Software Alliance reported recently that 36 per cent of all software applications in use in Canada are pirated, costing $1.1-billion in lost retail software sales.

[BigJon]

What if said person didn't PURCHASE a copied version? :shifty:

[Agent Plissken]

OMG, Microsoft is so charitable... they will offer to sell their $299 item that costs them $3 to make for $149!

Hey if any of you want to send me $149 for a huge pile of poop in a $3 box, feel free... Ill cover shipping.

[shocky123]

...lol....
Then 'said person' would be cool still I guess lol

Or not..

Either way, I'm surprised nobody is overly concerned by the fact that Microsoft is forcing you to release possibly sensitive, but more importantly.. private.. information about yourself to them in order to download a product update.. DirectX par example, which really has nothing to do with whether or not you have a legal copy of Windows, in fact.. Microsoft doesnt even lose money by not letting you download the FREE program titles that are available to the public ( via trial versions of Windows(free btw))

On another note..
What ever happened to the Wine co-compatibility issues that were around a while ago, which prevented ALL users, legal owners and the not-legal 'owners' from being able to download updates. i.e. due to conflicts in the underlying operating system(s) of Wine users.. the WGA programs would report the so-called 'presence' of illegal versions and prevent the user from using the update services.
( Which I believe is/was against the anti-trust laws that quasi-govern Microsoft )

~Kyle

[Pemolis]

I can only hope that this boots Linux a little higher on the OS Scene.

Actually I think the only thing holding back Linux is the DirectX issue (since linux has no Directx). If that was (convincingly) solved... oh lord we'd all be on linux.


This is the reason I say this.....

(a good 50% of the personal PC's are used for videogaming and multimedia).

[Bires]

Does this apply to all versions, including corporate?

...

Hmm...you are using the same key as 300 other computers!

Yes, I discovered 300 pirated copies at my school. Per your policy, I would like 300 copies of winXP retail.

[zero2dash]

I can only hope that this boots Linux a little higher on the OS Scene.

Actually I think the only thing holding back Linux is the DirectX issue (since linux has no Directx). If that was (convincingly) solved... oh lord we'd all be on linux.


This is the reason I say this.....

(a good 50% of the personal PC's are used for videogaming and multimedia).

Linux could have DirectX and it still would be in the same position it's in now; no matter what version or distro of Linux you have, you'll still be missing a lot of application support (ie brand name software) and 3d optimized video card drivers. And even if you had those two things you still don't have a platform that is as easy to use as Windows. I've tried 4 Linux distros...I can work my way around but keep in mind that most computer users wouldn't have a clue and most computer users are under educated which is why Linux will never overthrow Windows. Sorry man...

[Grubbie]

OMG, Microsoft is so charitable... they will offer to sell their $299 item that costs them $3 to make for $149!

Hey if any of you want to send me $149 for a huge pile of poop in a $3 box, feel free... Ill cover shipping.


I believe the dev costs of windows is much higher then 3$ per copy sold....

If you think about it, you have all the costs of developing the software, then marketing it. After you release it, you STILL have to support it for years to come. So you pay to produce it, market it, and support it for longer then it was meant to be around for.


Linux could have DirectX and it still would be in the same position it's in now; no matter what version or distro of Linux you have, you'll still be missing a lot of application support (ie brand name software) and 3d optimized video card drivers. And even if you had those two things you still don't have a platform that is as easy to use as Windows. I've tried 4 Linux distros...I can work my way around but keep in mind that most computer users wouldn't have a clue and most computer users are under educated which is why Linux will never overthrow Windows. Sorry man...


Yup, just think of the majority of computer users as people who didn't grow up with computers. In 30years, when the younger generation is in their 50's and 60's, then you could see a easily switch to different OS's. The average joe who can barely use email or understand what spyware is, it is a lot different.

[qwilliam]

Does this apply to all versions, including corporate?this does apply to corporate versions as well. although i forget the exact wording, i just tried updating my windows and it told me that i have an illegal key because it's a key that is used by major corporations (something along those lines). i have the corporate version of xp pro installed courtesy of my company i work for. :D i just hope that computers at work don't get this message when they try to update... :|

[Merlin]

"Customers want to know whether retailers have sold them genuine software,"
Sorry to burst this guys bubble but I really couldn't care less. :shrug:

[zero2dash]

this does apply to corporate versions as well. although i forget the exact wording, i just tried updating my windows and it told me that i have an illegal key because it's a key that is used by major corporations (something along those lines). i have the corporate version of xp pro installed courtesy of my company i work for. :D i just hope that computers at work don't get this message when they try to update... :|

Mine told me the same thing. "Invalid Product Key" and something along the lines of "This is a key for corporate customers. If you want to update, please contact your administrator to purchase a new product license" etc. something like that. What a joke...gee I wonder how long this is going to last before they take it back down due to corporate level complaints.

Actually, I take that back...most corporate level systems don't use XP, they use 2kPro and don't have to deal with this BS. I'm thinking of going back to 2kPro just to avoid this headache... :throw:

[mcs328]

Oh well...I'll just buy a Dell since it's cheap or go Apple.

[Pemolis]

I can't quite understand why someone would willingly file the fraud application.

Why would someone willingly admit to committing a felony?!?!?! That can really come back to bite them in the @ss.

[Bires]

I'm thinking of going back to 2kPro...
:stupid:

win2kpro is still the most stable, slickest win OS ever.

[Pemolis]

There are a whole lot of people who are going to disable windowsupdate.

If I were a firewall company.. I'd increase rates.

[Thesifer]

On the plus side.. Since microsoft purchased Gator (Forgot their newer name) Then atleast they can collaborate their information so they have a very accurate picture of which type of Spam/Pop ups you would like to see from now on :) Maybe next they will release Spyware in their windows update packages FOR FREE At no charge to you the valued customer!

[mcs328]

I can't quite understand why someone would willingly file the fraud application.

Why would someone willingly admit to committing a felony?!?!?! That can really come back to bite them in the @ss.

Maybe theres a line that frees them from prosecution?

[Pemolis]

This is my spyware/adaware defense program.

1) Mozilla Firefox
2)......

Really thats it.. but I add in some extra protection

2) Firewall
3) Spy-bot (I don't scan my pc, I enable the innoculation, which puts a bunch of blacklisted websites in your not-trust section of your registry
4) SpywareBlaster. Increases that list by 300%

5) Disable "Install on Demand(Other)"

Solves the whole spyware/spamware issue. Cool part is that the OS doesn't need massive patching to protect yourself.

[Merlin]

5) Disable "Install on Demand(Other)"

How do I do this?

[zero2dash]

Oh well...I'll just buy a Dell since it's cheap or go Apple.

I've been wanting to upgrade and/or purchase another PC and lately going to the dark side (Apple) is increasingly more appealing. I'll just admit it to myself...once the Intel Macs hit next year, I'm all on it. :hehehmm:

I'm still 2kPro til death though :heh: even if I have a Mac in the same room :cheers:

[qwilliam]

There are a whole lot of people who are going to disable windowsupdate.yup...i'll be one of them. never used windows update for anything except for patches anyway, which reminds me: i thought the article said that people who are using "illegal" versions of windows will still receive updates. how will that work when some of us here aren't even able to update anymore?



I'm thinking of going back to 2kPro...
:stupid:

win2kpro is still the most stable, slickest win OS ever. :stupid:
although i will miss the "smooth" graphics in xp. not the default luna style, but the classic windows look in xp. it just looks so...nice and clean. :)




5) Disable "Install on Demand(Other)"
How do I do this?go to internet explorer > tools > internet options... and then click on the "advanced" tab and uncheck the box that says "enable install on demand (other)". it should be under browsing.

if you're interested in other ways to protect/optimize xp, there's a little nifty article here (http://www.fixyourwindows.com/optimizewindows.htm) that makes for some good reading. his other page here (http://www.fixyourwindows.com/windowsxpsolutions.htm) is also useful (i only read part 2 as the rest is rather...long). i forgot where i got this site from (here maybe?), but hope that helps.

[Merlin]

Thanks. Done.

[bbrian]

Mine told me the same thing. "Invalid Product Key" and something along the lines of "This is a key for corporate customers. If you want to update, please contact your administrator to purchase a new product license" etc. something like that. What a joke...gee I wonder how long this is going to last before they take it back down due to corporate level complaints.Corporate customers shouldn't be using Windows update, they should be using SUS so they can control the rollout of new patches. Not every patch that MS pushes out should be installed in every environment. We have a team of people that analyze patches for Windows, Solaris, and flavors of unix to decide if we should install the patch.

I'm glad they are doing this.. hopefully it will help drive the price down as people buy an actual license instead of stealing. If they move to linux instead, then great! More competition isn't a bad thing.

Those of you that think 2K is more stable are crazy. :toxic:

[Merlin]

I'm glad they are doing this.. hopefully it will help drive the price down as people buy an actual license instead of stealing.
Probably not. If anything it would push it higher as there will be more demand for the product.

[Jeffbx]

I don't think it will have any effect at all on pricing. As it is, MS is looking at about a 20-25% profit margin on most of their products... a small change like this isn't going to make a difference.

[PrObLy]

No need to fear, for anyone who may be in question of their windows' legality:

"Cracked Windows anti-crack cracked claim"
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=24961


Didn’t take long


By Nick Farrell: Thursday 28 July 2005, 08:57

MICROSOFT'S bid to refuse access to updated versions of Windows has been foiled by hackers.

The Vole had demanded that those who wanted Windows updates, other than security improvements, had to download an Active X program that sniffed their operating system to see if their OS had been pirated.

It took about 24 hours for hackers to come up with a solution involving IE script, the hackers claim.

They would. µ




**Edited out the other article.

It appears that there are two very very easy ways to workaround this.

I wasn't sure if I could post the other article(s) here so I just included this one.

If you want to know the workarounds, just shoot me a PM.

[speedracer120]

Heh, my brother thought it would take them a week. I guess they're much quicker nowadays.

[InfiniteNothing]

No need to fear, for anyone who may be in question of their windows' legality:

"Cracked Windows anti-crack cracked claim"
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=24961






**Edited out the other article.

It appears that there are two very very easy ways to workaround this.

I wasn't sure if I could post the other article(s) here so I just included this one.

If you want to know the workarounds, just shoot me a PM.

Or search "piracy check hack" on google :)

[kame]

THANK..

The answer I was looking for.

:cheers:

[kame]

Whoaa..

That was too ez. If they keep making it THAT simpo, I would be out of a job.... Steps behind the spyware...


~si