Microsoft's High-Tech Crusade Against Piracy
What steps are big software companies taking to combat piracy and counterfeiting?
Piracy is a huge problem for software companies and it's one that is becoming increasingly difficult to combat. However, Microsoft has a way to trace counterfeit discs to the factory where it was produced, and as a result, the crime syndicate responsible for it.
BusinessWeek this week carries a report on Microsoft's 10-year-old anti-counterfeit unit, and details the testing that takes place in the company's Dublin-based crime lab. Senior forensics manager Donal Keating uses a custom-built microscope to take 72 high-resolution images the disc in question, and then uses the abrasions and grooves on the stacking ring to match it to other fakes. Keating can then trace it to the factory where it was produced. Once he figures that out, he alerts the police.
According to BusinessWeek, this kind of testing is just one part of a massive campaign to stop counterfeiting. Microsoft has eight more labs besides the one in Ireland, and also employs 75 investigators, lawyers and analysts – many of which have gleaned experience from narcotics and mafia cases.
It may seem like overkill, but the unit has been successful on several occasions. BW reports that in 2007, Microsoft helped Chinese authorities take down a syndicate that had generated $2 billion in fake Microsoft products. Last December the Redmond-based company aided Indian police in a raid on one of the country's largest resellers of Microsoft products, which was selling a mixture of genuine and fake products.
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I still maintain that the majority of piracy would stop if Microsoft (and others) either slashed their prices, or made their product worth the money.
Would Windows be pirated as often if it was £50 new? It's not like Microsoft would be making a loss even at that figure, especially with the billions they already have.
I agree!
When will people understand?
Reduce the price and you will reduce piracy!
The answer to reduce piracy is just as simple as that!
Sometime I got the feeling that buying price covering details were this way at the moment:
About 20% Development costs including copyrights, etc.
About 5% Hardcopy costs (DVD, CD, etc.)
About 5% Shipping costs.
About 15% Program developing revenue
About 10% Revenue for salesman, retailer, etc.
The rest is piracy figthing costs and the percentage is higher along with the implementation of the stupid DRM.
I'm running a pirated copy of Windows 7, this is because I actually bought Windows 7 Home Premium and several months later the key didn't work after a reformat, I tried the phoning up thing, that didn't work either. I tried emailing those who distributed the key (Digital River) and they just told me over and over that the key is case sensitive...Even after I emailed them the key for them to confirm it was correct. Maybe my problem here is with Digital River, but because of it, I'm not planning on buying windows again.
I did try contacting Microsoft but they just referred me to Digital River each time.
To agree with the person above, it wouldn't of been such a big deal to me if I had only paid £50, that is pretty fair I think. But instead I lost £90-100.
if they slashed the prices - they would actually profit even more...
assuming (note - I am assuming here)... that the whole Windows OS sector consists of:
companies - 60% and let's say 40% of home users... and 100% of those companies are using legit copies, and only about 60% of home users are using legit copies. If they slashed the prices, people who pirate the OS now due to the cost will go and BUY it... At the end of a day - people who own a copy already - are people who either purchased OEM OS preinstalled with their computer... or bought it for other reasons - either way - they would still buy it if the price was smaller...
But hey...
just look at dvd, a few years ago dvd's were £20 pluss...loads of pirate's pushing Dvd's, ...now dvd's £5 to £7 or around £12 for latest...havent seen any copys for ages ....why pay £2 pluss for a copy when legit is so reasonable, its killed the pirates dead
Currently on win 7, only windows I've ever bought, despite using 3.1, 95, 98, and XP. That's because it was offered for £20 to students.
you guys are so stupied
do you realise when you buy any version of windows you get all other versions on the disk
if you dont believe me get virtualbox or someother virtual machine
then create an iso of your windows 7 disk (mines professional)
then go to sources folder in the iso and delete ei.cfg
then save the iso, then usiang a virtual machine use it as if you were going to install the os and it asks you which version you want to install i have tested this with my disk and have tried out the ultimate version and found bitlocker useless
when you buy windows you are buying the same disk as everyone else except you are just payying extra for a license to accses more features on the disk
(ill add youtube link to me showing this later)
Of course slashing the prices would help. They say companies don't upgrade because of poor backwards compatibility, that might be part of the reason, but I think any small company with say... 20-50 PCs or so has to spend a huge amount of money to upgrade.
Nevertheless selling people pirated software is outrageous.It's one thing to "pirate" for your private use and it's another to sell them in shops.
shanky887614, how is any of that relevant to what's being said in the comments here? Have you commented on the wrong article by mistake or something?
I'd laugh if they ended up taking down Best Buy...those guys will do ANYTHING to make insane profits off us!