Microsoft Launches Anti-Piracy Plan in Brazil
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By Alberto Alerigi SAO PAULO, Brazil  - Microsoft Corp. on  Wednesday launched its biggest initiative yet to combat rampantsoftware piracy in Brazil, allowing only registered customersaccess to "non-critical" updates of its Windows operatingsystem.
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Microsoft unveils PlayReady, a digital rights management platform designed to protect a wide range of mobile content.
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A Portugese-language blog post from a member of the Windows Local Test and Support team in Brazil Wednesday, along with a download page on Microsoft's Web site confirmed that Windows Vista RC2 is arriving shortly, and will be available for public download.
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Microsoft is using a subscription-based service to combat Linux in developing markets.
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Microsoft effort is designed to wean people off pirated software and the open-source Linux OS.
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Thank-you, Mr Gates Romania's president delivered an enconium to software piracy during Bill Gates' world tour promoting Windows Vista.â¦
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SAO PAULO, Brazil  - A spree of "pirate" raids onvacation homes around the chic Brazilian beach resort of Angrados Reis has led police to mount air and sea patrols over theholiday season, a security official said on Thursday.
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Microsoft Corp. plans to severely curtail the ways in which people running pirated copies of its dominant Windows operating system can receive software updates, including security fixes.
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(InfoWorld) - Microsoft will introduce a new system for fighting software piracy with its upcoming Windows Vista and Windows Longhorn Server operating systems, the company said Wednesday. Called the Microsoft Software Protection Platform, it's a collection of technologies that aims to do better at detecting pirated versions of Windows, and will also force unauthorized versions of its software into a limited-functionality mode, encouraging users to obtain a legal copy. People using unlicensed copies of Vista will be blocked from accessing certain features, including a new interface design called Windows Aero, and software for fighting pop-up advertisements called Windows Defender, Microsoft said. The company has already used a reduced functionality mode with Windows XP. Users with an unlicensed versions of Windows will also see a persistent reminder message in the corner of their screen, reading "This copy of Windows is not genuine." The new software is bound to come under scrutiny. Microsoft's previous attempt to reduce unauthorized use of its software, Windows Genuine Advantage, was partially rolled back after it wasÂ criticized as "spyware"Â for stealthily installing itself on users' PCs and reporting information back to Microsoft. Microsoft said the new technologies are necessary to fight software piracy, and said end-users can also benefit because they are less likely to be exposed to faulty or compromised software. End-users installing pirated Vista copies, or who don't register their software using a product key within 30 days, will have their OS functionality reduced. The product key is an ID number assigned to customers for each purchase of Windows. The company said it will also be able to track more easily when products are activated with product keys that have been stolen from a business. Regardless of the authenticity of their Vista copy, all users will have access to Microsoft security updates, the company said. For businesses that use volume license keys for Vista and Longhorn Server, Microsoft will introduce new, policy-based tools for activating those systems. The new tools, called Microsoft Volume Activation 2.0, won't be linked to Microsoft's software billing systems, the company said. Windows Vista and Windows Server Longhorn -- the code name for the next version of Microsoftâs server software -- will be the first products to ship with the antipiracy technologies, but they'll eventually be used in more of its products. Around 35 percent of all software installed worldwide in 2005 was pirated or unlicensed, Microsoft said, citing a figure from the Business Software Alliance, an industry group. More information isÂ available here.Â
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Days after a beaming Bill Gates  unveiled his much-vaunted Windows Vista software at a retail  price of $400 for the premium version, Latin American street  vendors are hawking pirate copies for under $10.
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The new antipiracy controls due to be included in Microsoft's forthcoming operating system, Windows Vista, have highlighted the ongoing threat of piracy faced by many software companies.
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Malaysian authorities have begun raiding computer retail outlets offering pirated software amid concerns that illegal copies of Microsoft Corp.'s newest operating system, Windows Vista, are already on sale.
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Microsoft announced on Thursday its first software licensing deal under a program mandated by a 2004 European Commission anti-trust ruling.
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NEW YORK/LONDON  - Microsoft Corp. rolled out Windows Vista at retailers in 70 countries on Tuesday, delivering a PC operating system that aims to better manage the explosion of digital media and protect users from the dangers of the Internet.
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Microsoft Corp launched its MSN music  download service in eight new European countries on Thursday in  an attempt to fend off a recent expansion push by archrival  Apple Computer's iTunes.
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Pirated Microsoft Corp software helped Romania to build a vibrant technology industry, Romanian President Traian Basescu told the company's co-founder Bill Gates on Thursday.
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By SEAN YOONG  PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia - Malaysian authorities have begun raiding computer retail outlets offering pirated software amid concerns that illegal copies of Microsoft Corp.'s newest operating system, Windows Vista, are already on sale.