Microsoft Plans Piracy Crackdown
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Microsoft said people running a pirated version of its new Windows Vista operating system will be denied access to some features.
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(InfoWorld) - MicrosoftÂ on Thursday released an update to Windows Vista that will shut down unauthorized versions of the OS that allow users to skip the product's activation system. The move comes asÂ pirated copies of Vista are already making the rounds, mere weeks after the product was released to business customers. The update, which Microsoft has dubbed "frankenbuild," detects tampering of Windows Vista code that would allow users of the OS to work around the product's built-in activation system, which requires users to validate their copy of Vista with a product activation key to use the full version of the product after 30 days. Frankenbuild mixes files from various test and final versions of the software. It will require only systems in which it detects specific tampering to go through a validation check for authenticity, according to a posting on the Windows Genuine Advantage blog. If a version of Vista that has used a workaround to avoid product activation is detected, a user of that software will have 30 days before the OS goes into a reduced functionality mode, Microsoft said. In this mode, all users can do is access their existing files and surf the Web for an hour before having to log back on to the software. The pirating of Windows has been a perennial problem for Microsoft, particularly in developing countries. The company began coming down hard against piracy last year withÂ a widely criticized systemÂ it called Windows Genuine Advantage, which initially required users to validate their copies of Windows if they wanted to use Microsoft's update services. Microsoft took its antipiracy campaign one step further with Vista by building the validation system directly into the OS. This system requires a Windows Vista user to validate the software through a product activation key within 30 days of using the OS to avoid having the software go into reduced functionality mode.
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Microsoft is testing a new feature on its Download Centre website that can lock out pirated copies of Windows. During the test period, users of Download Centre can opt to have the Windows software installed on their PCs validated as genuine.
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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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U.K. users will be able to replace pirated versions of Windows that they have purchased.
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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 said it plans to offer tools based on Giant&#39;s technology that will help protect Windows PCs from spyware and other deceptive software.
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Microsoft Corp's MSFT.O upcoming   Windows Vista computer operating system will include technology   that is designed to prevent pirated copies from fully   functioning, the software giant said.
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Microsoft is set to launch an attack on Google, saying that its rival's book-scanning service "violates copyright".
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Microsoft conceded Wednesday that the latest version of its Windows Media digital rights management had indeed been cracked, and said it is working on a patch to prevent customers from using the FairUse4WM program to strip the copyright protection from downloaded songs.
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The Microsoft CEO says one way to stem growing piracy of Windows and Office in emerging markets is to offer low-cost computers.
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Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer recently declared that a $100 PC was needed to combat piracy in the emerging economies. Ballmer was quoted as stating that &quot;There has to be...a $100 computer to go down-market in some of these countries.
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Microsoft Corp.'s forthcoming Windows Vista will take much harsher steps to curtail piracy than previous versions of its operating system, including crippling the usefulness of computers found to be running unlicensed copies of the new software.
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WASHINGTON - Microsoft Corp. disclosed plans Thursday to offer frustrated users of its Windows software new tools within 30 days to remove spyware programs secretly running on computers.
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U.S. officials are expected to  announce on Monday a coordinated crackdown on the theft of U.S.  intellectual property such as pirated compact discs and  knockoff auto parts, the Wall Street Journal reported on  Monday,
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Microsoft is hoping to beat the fraudsters and trace large-scale counterfeiters of Windows XP OEM with a free checking and replacement scheme for users.
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In a blog post, Steve Jobs calls for an end to anti-piracy restrictions.