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Microsoft Patents The Almighty Buck

Microsoft Offers Compensation For Counterfeit OSes 355

Posted by Zonk from the unamerican-activities dept.
0110011001110101 writes "Want to validate an unscrupulously obtained copy of Windows? Sign up for the new carrot/stick program being offered by Microsoft. From the article: 'Expanding its Windows Genuine Advantage program, Microsoft will now compensate customers in the United States that unknowingly purchased counterfeit versions of Windows XP with complimentary genuine Windows copies. There is one catch, however: customers must first file a report on the unscrupulous reseller.'"
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Microsoft Offers Compensation For Counterfeit OSes More

Microsoft Offers Compensation For Counterfeit OSes

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  • I blame Google!!! (Score:5, Funny)

    by lecithin ( 745575 ) on Thursday May 05, 2005 @11:38AM (#12441781)
    Dear Microsoft,

    I would like to rat out the folks that gave me the counterfeit copies of your software. You can find them at:

    marketing@google.com
    sales@google.com

    Don't believe me? Do a google search. :)

  • Good for them. (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Blacken00100 ( 864342 ) on Thursday May 05, 2005 @11:39AM (#12441787)
    This is a good development. I've bought counterfeit software by accident before--companies rarely give you any sort of compensation and demand you send them the media. Screw that, eh?
    • Microsoft would not be where it is today if not for the MILLIONS of pirated OS installs that have been out there for years.

      Microsoft gained much of its initial foothold through the efforts of software pirates.

      Now, I'm not saying that what the pirates did was right, I'm just saying that they did a lot to help push Microsoft into the lead in the OS wars.

      DISCLAIMER: ALL OF MY MICROSOFT OS INSTALLATIONS ARE LEGITIMATE, LEGALLY PURCHASED ENTITIES THAT REQURE NO FURTHER INVESTIGATION BY HOMELAND SECURITY, THE

      • Actually I heard from your mom that you use windows ME. So I think that you have been punished enough for your misdeeds.

        As for how I know your mom, well, lets just say that a lot of people do.

    • Sorta (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward
      If Microsoft would give every PC vendor the same price that they give Dell, there wouldn't be such a problem. Instead, Microsoft points the small fish to their authorized Windows resellers [microsoft.com] that charge hundreds for a valid copy. You can almost get a whole Dell PC for less than the cost of a "valid" copy of Windows.

      MS deserve to be pirated until they become fair. In my estimation, that means $30 Windows XP Home and $100 Windows XP Pro. But it is all hidden behind secret deals. It really is too bad that
    • Except that some people will buy the legit copy, but then purchase or download a cracked copy because they don't want to deal with the freaking annoying authentication. They still have a license to run Windows, so what's the problem? They have legit copies of XP Pro and XP Home, but only run the cracked copies to avoid the authentication crap.

  • Value? (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Rolyat69 ( 838367 )
    "WGA is designed to differentiate the value of genuine Windows software from counterfeit software so that customers can enjoy the confidence that comes with genuine software, and that it is part of Microsoft's ongoing commitment to protect its customers from software counterfeiting and its partners from competitors who engage in this practice,"

    I wasn't aware that there was any difference in the value of genuine software versus pirated software to the consumer. The price paid or not paid, has nothing to

    • Re:Value? (Score:2, Informative)

      by DaHat ( 247651 )
      Part of the value is access to official upgrades and enhancements, many of which now require a genuine copy of Windows XP (or higher) to get/install.
    • It's a value if I can get the same thing for $0.00 versus $150.
    • To be fair, the OEM version costs half that. I can't imagine why anyone would consider buying it retail.

      • Re:Value? (Score:5, Interesting)

        by Tongo ( 644233 ) on Thursday May 05, 2005 @11:55AM (#12442001)
        According to our OEM license, a customer can purchase XP as long as they purchase a piece of hardware that is necessary to make the computer run (or something to that effect).

        We usually just sell 'em a power cord with their copy of XP.

        • Re:Value? (Score:3, Interesting)

          by FuturePastNow ( 836765 )
          This [newegg.com] is the best thing I've seen for that purpose. What's funny is, Newegg used to offer this "free with the purchase of any Microsoft software." So, free hardware that satasfied the hardware requirement. Looks like someone told them to stop.

        • Re:Value? (Score:3, Informative)

          by brontus3927 ( 865730 )
          MS has been toughening stance on that. They now require it to be a "non-peripheral" part. Their definition of that term is basically that it can't be a cord/cable and has to be inside the case, or the case itself.

          Of course, it's still easy to get around that, by shipping it with an ISA video card you found at the dump.

          • Re:Value? (Score:3, Funny)

            by Anonymous Coward
            Jumpers. Sell them jumpers.

    • Re:Value? (Score:5, Funny)

      by Golias ( 176380 ) on Thursday May 05, 2005 @11:46AM (#12441897)
      Is there even such a thing as "counterfeit" Windows?

      All I've ever seen is illegal copies of the real Windows OS.

      Does Microsoft really expect us to believe that there are people out there who have written another OS which behaves enough like Windows that it will fool people into thinking they bought a Microsoft operating system???

      Okay, sure there's Linspire (or whatever it's called this week) and KDE, but those are Linux-based environments and therefore far too stable to fool anybody.

      Who's writing this counterfeit Windows program out there, and how did they manage to get it to work properly with all the malware floating around the net?

    • Re:Value? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by NanoGator ( 522640 ) on Thursday May 05, 2005 @11:46AM (#12441899) Homepage Journal
      "The price paid or not paid, has nothing to do with the value of the software."

      That's BS.

      a.) XP has to be cracked to get around the on-line activation, so the user is not necessarily getting the same thing MS offers or guarantees.

      b.) Slashdot LOVES posting stories about how MS only supports legit versions of Windows. Ethical or not, there's still a difference.

      c.) If the user has a pirated copy of XP and needs support, there's no reasonable expectation that MS MUST help them.

      It's not just about money changing hands, there's software moving, too.
      • a.) XP has to be cracked to get around the on-line activation, so the user is not necessarily getting the same thing MS offers or guarantees.

        Actually, pirated copies of XP are the corporate version where activation is disabled because the corporation is installing on 1000's of computers and that would be a HUGE expenditure of time and bandwith to activate each one.

      • 1 - Enterprise editions don't have that activation garbage. ( it would be impossible to support in a large organization if it wasn't removed )

        2 - Microsoft has been declared to be a monopoly. The rules are different. They should be treated differently then an honest small business, and held to different standards.

    • Re:Value? (Score:2, Interesting)

      by IAmMaxHarris ( 750973 )
      Like any other stolen good, pirated software ultimately has negative value to the theif. Subsequent actions related to theft detract from the overall wealth and health of the perpetrator.

      People who were duped by a dishonest reseller aren't theives. Microsoft is right in treating them nicely.

    • You missed the point (Score:5, Funny)

      by RealProgrammer ( 723725 ) on Thursday May 05, 2005 @12:01PM (#12442062) Homepage Journal
      Microsoft's ongoing commitment to protect its customers from software counterfeiting

      That's the point. They are protecting their customers.

      Whoever said Microsoft was a heartless monopoly with a cash register for a soul sure has to eat their words now.

      I have seen the Light. Now I just have to contact 4,356 people and convince them not to turn me in.

    • Re:Value? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by berzerke ( 319205 ) on Thursday May 05, 2005 @12:50PM (#12442634) Homepage

      ...I wasn't aware that there was any difference in the value of genuine software versus pirated software to the consumer...

      The consumer may not care, but MS should. I actually wish them the best of luck in stamping out piracy. I really do. I can't count how many people I've offered copies of Openoffice to that said we can get MS Office (read "pirate it") so we aren't interested. If people have to start paying for every copy, a lot more will be interested in FOSS. People who wouldn't even consider Linux before now will. Go Microsoft! :->

  • Well... (Score:5, Funny)

    by nweaver ( 113078 ) on Thursday May 05, 2005 @11:39AM (#12441792) Homepage
    Is there any way to sell out the spammers who keep advertising "outrageouz dizcount on 0eM sofware"? I don't need Windows liscences if Microsoft is willing to send the offenders to Abu Garab...

  • Woohoo! (Score:5, Funny)

    by bigtallmofo ( 695287 ) on Thursday May 05, 2005 @11:39AM (#12441794)
    Let's all sell fake copies of Windows XP to each other. Then we can report each other and get real copies!

    On second thought...

    • Re:Woohoo! (Score:3, Interesting)

      by MrLint ( 519792 )
      Here in NYC whats to stop me from reporting a a fake retailer at an addressed that is a closed store?

      There are so many abandoned buildings in this city, i mean seriously.

      • Re:Woohoo! (Score:3, Insightful)

        by MankyD ( 567984 )
        That's called fraud. The only way MS can send the software to you is to get your name and address. If you report to them a fake retailer, they'll figure it out and come back to you looking for answers.
        • whoops, forgot to put the / in my </i>...

        • Re:Woohoo! (Score:3, Insightful)

          by MrLint ( 519792 )
          What answers could i possibly give? "Sorry Mr. Microsoft-man, looks like that disreputable vendor that was selling fake windows XP has vanished into the night like disreputable vendors are wont to do.

      • Or worse... (Score:3, Insightful)

        by dlZ ( 798734 )
        What's to stop people from reporting a legit retailer at an open store? There are people willing to screw someone for something as cheap as Windows (in the grand scheme of things, a copy of Windows isn't expensive.) As someone who owns a small computer shop, who's to say that someone, maybe even a competitor, couldn't do this? And we do sell systems with no OS, or with Linux installed, so even if they want a track record of systems sold compared to copies of their OS sold, there are still more machines c

    • Re:Woohoo! (Score:3, Interesting)

      by MrAnnoyanceToYou ( 654053 )
      Heh. I bought a copy of Windows XP in the street in Quito, Ecuador. It cost me a grand total of 5$. Do I qualify for this program, and can I Ebay my new copy and make like 100$ a transaction?

      1. Buy Pirated Software
      2. Turn it in to Microsoft
      3.
      4. PROFIT!
  • from the article ...In order to receive a complimentary copy of Windows XP Professional, customers must first file a confidential piracy report, hand over the fraudulent media and provide Microsoft with a proof of purchase...

    And there is the rub. If you downloaded/borrowed a copy and installed that way -- too bad. I have no idea what the numbers are of people who bought an illegal copy of windows -- but a quick survey in my office shows that 100% of the people here who have an "illegal" copy of windows,

    • Re:Qui Bono? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by stlhawkeye ( 868951 ) on Thursday May 05, 2005 @11:43AM (#12441854) Homepage Journal
      So really, MSFT is looking for the idiots who were selling windows on the street and issuing receipts. Does anyone think this is a significant numbner of people?

      Not in America. In China, Malaysia, and Singapore, however, there literally are vendors in the streets selling illegal CDs of this and dozens of other expensive software products for five bucks.

      • Re:Qui Bono? (Score:3, Interesting)

        by urlgrey ( 798089 ) *
        Indeed, and unfortunately, it's not just them, but it's also England, Germany, France, Brazil, Canada, Egypt, India, Pakistan, and even the Good Ol' US of A. And that's just the top of the list.

        For the doubters about it happening here in the US, all it takes to see it in the US is a trip to a "County Fair", flea market, or similar swap meet. This is to say nothing of the bogus copies available online. If you see a copy of Windows for $25 here in the US (or anywhere for that matter), chances are it's bogus
    • My local computer fair is full of them.

      I've seen traders being removed by Council staff (it's in a council owned building).

    • Re:Qui Bono? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by DaHat ( 247651 ) on Thursday May 05, 2005 @11:44AM (#12441874)
      You do not think that there is a market for illicit copies of Windows for unscrupulous retailers? You go down to Bob's PC down the street to buy a PC and his prices are pretty reasonable in large part (unbeknownst to you, but beknownst to Bob) due to his not using genuine copies of Windows on his machines, helping him to save a few bucks on each BOM.

      Chances are, one of Bob's customers may not know that their copy of Windows is not legit. This is not unlike system builders who throw in a CPU of one speed and overclock it to another and claim that it is the ladder, just to get a few bucks extra while defrauding the customer.
    • There are lots of small computer shops out there, that custom build systems for people. I think MS is going after the ones who give you the system restore disc on CD-R.

      Am I really one of the few people around who actually owns a legit copy of XP? None of my friends do. No wonder it costs so much.
    • And there is the rub. If you downloaded/borrowed a copy and installed that way -- too bad.

      That's not their intention here. Microsoft is going after the local system builders/redistributers who try to save money by preloading pirated copies of Windows on the PCs they sell. They don't care nearly enough about the guy who gave 5 copies to various friends, when you have the guy at Comp-U-Comp down the street that has installed 5000 copies on the computers he sells.

  • Why is this bad? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by PktLoss ( 647983 ) on Thursday May 05, 2005 @11:40AM (#12441802) Homepage Journal
    I've seen a lot of spin on this thing, that tries to make Microsoft out to be the bad guy in this situation.

    This sounds like it's good for consumers, and Microsofts wishes to track down the retailers that are defrauding customers don't seem out of line.

    • Re:Why is this bad? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by jmorris42 ( 1458 ) * <{jmorris} {at} {beau.org}> on Thursday May 05, 2005 @01:23PM (#12443077)
      > I've seen a lot of spin on this thing, that tries to make Microsoft out
      > to be the bad guy in this situation.

      This isn't even a new idea. The sat TV industry has been doing much the same for years. They switch their crypto, the bootleg cards stop and they run an amnesty program where you narc out the dealer who sold you the pirate card and they forgive your theft, set you up a legal account for no charge and often even comp you free service for a bit.

      The cops do it all the time in the War on Some Drugs. Rat out the dealer and walk away free and clear.

      > This sounds like it's good for consumers, and Microsofts wishes to
      > track down the retailers that are defrauding customers don't seem out
      > of line.

      Yup, and as Free Software fans we should be 100% behind this sort of enforcement. It is hard for Free to compete with Microsoft when to 95% of their users Microsoft is just as "free" in the sense it either was hidden in the cost of their PC was is warez.

      Making closed software actually cost full price is the first step to getting people to consider alternatives. This works both on the end user and the margin squeezed OEMs who sell the industrial warez bootleg copies of XP instead of Lindows. (Or whatever they call themselves today.. can't remember right now.)

  • To all my loyal customers out there. (Score:5, Funny)

    by Craig_P92669 ( 875776 ) on Thursday May 05, 2005 @11:40AM (#12441806)
    Snitches get stitches.


    Ya betta rememba that.

    • Re:To all my loyal customers out there. (Score:2, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Non snitches get longer jail sentences.

      When you have to make the choice see just how much honor you have. I had to choose between getting charged as an accessory and facing a possible 8 - 12 years for a guy I hadn't seen to in over a year and would sell me out at the drop of a hat, or telling the truth about a drug crime that happened over 2 years ago.

      I told the truth and have that signed thing from the DA that I will not be charged due to my cooperation with law enforcement.

      It really is true, there is n

  • And the problem is? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by REBloomfield ( 550182 ) on Thursday May 05, 2005 @11:41AM (#12441815)
    This article is written like it's a bad thing!

    Whether you agree with the law, or wear sandals and hug penguins, piracy is still illegal, and if you have unwittingly ended up with illegal software, you shouldn't have to put up with being ripped off.

  • How will they avoid scammers? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by nizo ( 81281 ) * on Thursday May 05, 2005 @11:41AM (#12441816) Homepage Journal
    All I need are:
    1. Name and phone number of local mom and pop computer store.
    2. Fake receipt for 100 computers I bought from them and sob story about how they didn't even give me the media, and all 100 machines have the same key.
    3. New ebay account to sell all my nifty new 100 copies of windows XP

    The article claims "Microsoft has put in place a control to make certain that applicants are filing legitimate claims." Are they going to contact vendors first? I don't see what they can do to prevent this kind of scam.

  • First of all, most "illegal" software is had from P2P networks, which we all know damn well are used almost exclusively and entirely for legal downloading. Microsoft has no basis for this. Nobody sold me anything, it was free off P2P! And since P2P is a blameless, holy entity, one of Slashdot's Sacred Cows, we know that it cannot possibly be responsible for any wrongdoing. A very tiny minority of people might use it ilegally but overall the economy, especially businesses whose profitability stems direct

  • Just on XP? (Score:4, Funny)

    by FerretFrottage ( 714136 ) on Thursday May 05, 2005 @11:42AM (#12441820)
    I never thought MS had a real OS until NT4 and later XP. Too bad I can't file a report against them for selling counterfeit OSes to me in the names of Windows 95, 98, and ME,

  • Shux (Score:3, Funny)

    by iosmart ( 624285 ) on Thursday May 05, 2005 @11:42AM (#12441827)
    I suppose this doesn't help if you accidentally gave yourself a counterfeit copy :(
  • so, if I got my copy off Kazaa, can I file a report on an imaginary company and other bunco information and get a free copy of XP?

    "Yes, Mr. Gates, Imanginarico sold me 500 copies of Windows XP and they all turned out to be fake. Their address is in Uzbekistan."

  • Yippee, I can get legit at last. (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    But i must apologise to the vendor I'm snitching up. Sorry dad!

  • Report the resellers? (Score:3, Funny)

    by mizhi ( 186984 ) on Thursday May 05, 2005 @11:42AM (#12441837)
    I have to report my mom?

    She's not going to like that.

  • to the poster, i say: (Score:3, Funny)

    by carambola5 ( 456983 ) on Thursday May 05, 2005 @11:43AM (#12441839) Homepage
    01100110011101012
  • I got my OS from these guys [gentoo.org]...and I didn't pass the Genuine OS test :(

  • Absolutely fine by me! (Score:5, Insightful)

    by jht ( 5006 ) on Thursday May 05, 2005 @11:43AM (#12441855) Homepage Journal
    As much as I'd just as soon see folks running something other than Windows in the first place, the people buying counterfeit copies of Windows are often not aware that their software's not legit - while the reseller is. So Microsoft'll give me a legit copy in exchange for the goods on the crook who sold me the fake. Sounds like a fair swap.

    The vendors who get nailed by this program deserve it.
    • Agreed. This seems entirely legitimate to me. The article summary was grasping at straws to try and make MS sound bad and/or evil for doing this.

      You can make a case that this whole idea is susceptible to fraud, but so is just about every other business idea/plan/system. That being said, if six months down the line, we find out that MS sent off letters demanding money from each and everyone who was reported as selling counterfeit windows, with no regards to fact checking or correctness, then we can criticiz
  • I tried to download some Microsoft software on my homebuilt W2k system. It's a valid copy and a valid license. Microsoft could not confirm that it was valid so it asked me to enter the name of the manufacturer and model number. Of course I had no such information, so I had to download the software without verifying.

    I'm not sure what I'll do when Microsoft keeps me from downloading their software. On second thought, I know exactly what I'll do. Dump Windows!
  • I wonder how many people will file reports on Bram Cohen?

  • Begin The Perp Walks! (Score:3, Insightful)

    by blueZhift ( 652272 ) on Thursday May 05, 2005 @11:45AM (#12441889) Homepage Journal
    This is an interesting ploy on Microsoft's part and should be interesting and fun to watch. I would guess that they probably will net a few big operators at first before they wise up and cover their tracks better. So let the perp walks begin! I have no love for big time software piracy outfits, but it does bother me that this effort is likely to net a lot of clueless sorts who really don't amount to much in lost sales, just as the RIAA dragnet has done. In a worst case scenario, in some parts of the world this might get some people killed.
  • Dear 0110011001110101,

    No, fu.

    Love,
    gonzo
  • ...I could make millions of dollars by buying copies of XP via the spam I get, then reporting them to MS.

    Of course, this promotes spam, and they might have a difficult time tracking them down.

  • That program doesn't apply outside the US? Should people abroad be happy or sad about it?

  • I believe I have been sold a counterfeit copy of my computer operating system.

    The package contained an OS, Office Software, Games, Web browsers, Email clients, IM clients, doodling packages, and all the other assorted knicknacks I expect from my copy of a Windows OS. It also contained a multitude of development tools, website hosting software, and various other specialised programs worth thousands of dollars!

    Furthermore, not only did I recieve the software at low, low prices ($0.00-$60), all MicroSoft branding had been removed and was replaced by penguins, feet, red hats, cogs, some sort of cow and an orange fox.

    The name of the fraudulants sellers were Redhat, Mandrake, Novell and Debian!

    I hope you will take appropriate action against these charletans for providing what must be counterfeit quality products at such shamelessly low prices!

  • Works for me (Score:3, Funny)

    by overshoot ( 39700 ) on Thursday May 05, 2005 @11:50AM (#12441942)
    Anyone who would sell WinXP deserves any punishment imaginable. Now if they could only work their way up to Dell, HP, ...

  • Wine (Score:5, Funny)

    by dtfinch ( 661405 ) * on Thursday May 05, 2005 @11:53AM (#12441972) Journal
    Since the Windows Genuine Advantage (tm) validator identifies WINE as counterfeit, does that mean can I get a free copy of XP?
  • ...asking if this is a good thing, the answer is an unqualified yes.

    A few years back, a shop in the city I live in got caught selling counterfeit Windows CDs (ie not burned CDRs, proper screen-printed looks-like-MS-legit discs) to their customers. Until now, technically (and wrongly, morally speaking, IMHO) this resulted in them running illegal unlicensed copies of Windows, for which they had no recourse. So now, MS will give people in similar situations a nice shiny *legal* copy of Windows, and go after t
  • They've been doing this, unofficially at least, for years. I had a customer buy a few copies of Windows 95 for his office computers (this was back in 1995 or 1996), only to find out they were all fake. I had him call the MS anti-piracy hotline and they sent him at least one legit copy for his trouble.

    I don't see why this merits a story here. It's a nice customer service policy, and it makes sense from a business perspective. But I guess you can always count on Slashdot to put a negative spin on anythin
  • The Microsoft bashing has reached a new low. How can this be seen as anything but the right thing to do? Hell, beyond the call of duty even. Yeah, they are doing it to help themselves, too, but at least they are helping out the victims, too. I hate MS as much as the next guy, but come on, people.

  • Just another take on this (Score:5, Interesting)

    by cdrguru ( 88047 ) on Thursday May 05, 2005 @12:02PM (#12442074) Homepage
    My company recently purchased a PC from a supposedly legitimate vendor. On the itemized list of stuff that was included was "Microsoft Windows XP Home". Unfortunately, what was on the PC was a product code that had already been registered. No media, no COA, no little sticker.

    Now, if they had sold the system without an OS, we would have used one of our Windows licenses on it and that would have been that. But, they claimed to put a licensed copy of Windows on the computer and did not.

    I called Microsoft worked my way through their piracy hotline. What do you know, a few days later a new OEM copy of Windows showed up in the mail.

    If you get sold a copy of Windows, you have the right to expect a legal copy of Windows. Period.

  • They are always perfect copies. Maybe the "Cert. of Authenticity" is counterfeit, but really you can't even wipe your ass with that, its too rough. SO why should I care?
  • with complimentary genuine Windows copies. There is one catch, however: customers must first file a report on the unscrupulous reseller

    If you didn't like someone, you could download the ISO off BT or something or borrow a copy of XP from somone else, make a copy of the disk. Then run the CD through a cd label printer to make it look kinda perty, google search for the good old FCKGW code, then call microsoft and report this person you don't like as being the one who sold you the copy.

    Step 1: make illeg

  • Genuine problem (Score:2, Interesting)

    by boyfaceddog ( 788041 )
    if every copy of Linux is "genuine" and no one is issuing a license, then what is it that makes a copy of XP "fake"? This is why single-sourced and closed-source software is so bad - there is no real support if only one company controls the resource.
  • What if I buy Windows from a guy on a corner or a flea market? Can I still get a free copy even for vendors who are no longer in business?

  • [insert your homily here]

    narcing for usloth, that's gotta be a new low.

  • I'm holding out (Score:2, Funny)

    by merc ( 115854 )
    for SCO's Genuine-Linux Advantage program...

  • Catch? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by SnprBoB86 ( 576143 ) on Thursday May 05, 2005 @03:16PM (#12444399) Homepage
    "There is one catch, however: customers must first file a report on the unscrupulous reseller."

    How is this a "catch"? A catch implies the offer/opportunity is in some how rigged to negatively affect the offeree. Microsoft is going out of their way to do something nice for customers who go out of their way to do something nice for Microsoft. This is a mutually beneficial situation and while it might conflict with the /. "any means to an end of ruining Microsoft" philosophy, Microsoft should be commended for this.

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