Microsoft's High-Tech Crusade Against Piracy

[o0RaidR0o]

[citation][nom]dragunover[/nom]Piracy, TH? You're looking at counterfeit, piracy is what people do on their uTorrent clients with no gain or loss.[/citation]
Actually I beg to differ even further, what people do on uTorrents isn't piracy either, it's file sharing. They don't wear eye patches, the don't ride the high seas, and unlike pirates they don't take away anything from others. Pirates tend to steal your possession, the only copy of said possession, for either personal gain or re-sale. File sharer's merely make copies and share them with others willingly, without duress or threat.

 

[o0RaidR0o]

[citation][nom]randomizer[/nom]Stopping P2P networks is not their aim. They are trying to protect would-be legitimate customers from buying counterfeit software. Well, to be more precise, they are trying to protect their revenue streams from these customers It's been shown several times that lowering prices doesn't stop P2P piracy, so don't bother bringing up that point. Some people pirate because they can, and that's it. Of course they come up with every justification under the sun but in the end it's really because it's so easy. I have more respect for those who admit to piracy for honest reasons and not some fanciful dream about sticking it to the man or being so poor that they can't afford to buy a copy of Windows for their $2000 gaming rig[/citation]
Honestly I file share, and I would also like to own a legit copy of Windows 7 Ultimate, but not at a price tag of $320.00US/full version. Way to expensive for me, especially in a ever changing environment. Microsoft and the like have a other revenue streams, mainly PC makers, and corporations, they shouldn't milk the general public as well.

 

[randomizer]

Honestly I file share, and I would also like to own a legit copy of Windows 7 Ultimate, but not at a price tag of $320.00US/full version.

So don't buy the "full" (retail) version. Get the OEM one, it's under $200.

 

[mchuf]

If MS or any other big consumer product company wants to stop confeits, then thay need to have teams operate in third world countries instead of western countries. Of course this may mean some people getting shot at. This is why citizens of western countries get the brunt of big companies efforts and not the places where counterfeiting is the norm.

 

[mavroxur]

[citation][nom]rohitbaran[/nom]I suggest they lower their prices to more reasonable levels at least in poorer countries[/citation]



What an ignorant answer. So if someone can't afford it, make it cheaper for them? How's that fair? I pay full price for my copy of Win 7 Pro, but since you're poor, you only have to pay $10? If that's the case, call me poor to then, so I can pay a fraction of the retail price. If you can't afford something, they shouldn't have to make it cheaper just for those who can't, especially with something as non-essential as software. If we were talking medicine or food in a third world country, that's something different. But the world isn't a giant flea market.

 

[sidran32]

[citation][nom]regulas[/nom]Yes and these costs are passed onto the consumer, another reason to use Linux.[/citation]
I guess every little thing is a reason to use Linux to you.

"This just in, Microsoft's user booklets cost money to print!"
Yet another reason to use Linux.

"Microsoft uses colors in their logo."
Yet another reason to use Linux.

It just sounds to me that you simply prefer Linux. That's all well and great, but that Microsoft is spending a bit of cash (of which it has a lot) on combating counterfeiting and piracy of their own product, and doing a good job of it, doesn't sound like a reason to use Linux to me. Windows still costs as low as $75, and that's not bad at all.

 

[K-zon]

Even with costs going up, when you can finally get ahold of something it would be nice to have a legal legit copy not to have to deal with any legal involvement or busted software.

 

[K-zon]

It might be better of for microsft on the idea of mass distrubtion of the product, but what about the user(s) of windows? If everything thing of windows and all of sudden off the customers was having problems, and come to fnd out they dont have a genuine product rather low-end or high, or even small software devices. It would make microsoft look bad. For poor handling of the products too the consumers. Giving people a bad experience using Windows, i dont see how that would help Microsoft or any company with a mass extent into such things, or small even, but there is some real-world marketing and understanding into though, that i find that fine line falls into to where the problem does exist.
They should employ needs to help insure that their products are theirs as with any other company, and if a company allows their products to be copied and distrubed in any means, then thats there means, if people can still enjoy their product by such means, then fine. Shouldnt be any issue or judgement upon so. But that does not always fit the bill with time and investments involved in a product and its distrubution.

 

[sviola]

[citation][nom]randomizer[/nom]And guess what, they still get pirated. Why? Because free is cheaper than half price. There's nearly always alternative software which is free (libre), you don't always need the expensive stuff.Anyway, this article is about counterfeit software which can never be justified.[/citation]

You are wrong. I live in Brazil, and a new PC game is sold for the equivalent of 60 dollars, whilst xbox games are sold for around 150 dollars. Now, the minimum wage in Brazil is around 300 dollars and most people get paid around 500-1000 dollars. Paying more than 10% of your monthly wage on a game is out of the question for anyone.

Now, I am an engineer and I get paid more than this and I don't download games (and because of this, I rarely buy games and when I do, usually look for ones that have big replay value), but I do know people that make as much as I do and download because prices are too high for what is considered a superfluos item. Saying this, many of them, have started buying games in Steam, as they usually can get good games at lower prices (like 10-20 dollars, albeit usually 6-month to a year old games).

Common people pirating is more related to how people see the value of things and how they cost as to doing it even if they could afford it (altough many people fall into this category).

As for the free software stuff, when I was in college, I had to use Matlab and AutoCAD to do class work and there was no Student programs from the manufacturer that would reduce the cost of such software (and paying 5k dollars foreach was just out of anyones possesion), so it was common for people to download copies of such software

 

[mayne92]

[citation][nom]sidran32[/nom]I guess every little thing is a reason to use Linux to you."This just in, Microsoft's user booklets cost money to print!"Yet another reason to use Linux."Microsoft uses colors in their logo."Yet another reason to use Linux.It just sounds to me that you simply prefer Linux. That's all well and great, but that Microsoft is spending a bit of cash (of which it has a lot) on combating counterfeiting and piracy of their own product, and doing a good job of it, doesn't sound like a reason to use Linux to me. Windows still costs as low as $75, and that's not bad at all.[/citation]
Consumers WILL pay for all this spending on piracy...basic business economics. Plus, where do you get your copies of Windows for $75???...Still the price for XP? LOL 0.o.

 

[cjl]

[citation][nom]mayne92[/nom]Consumers WILL pay for all this spending on piracy...basic business economics. Plus, where do you get your copies of Windows for $75???...Still the price for XP? LOL 0.o.[/citation]

That's about what an OEM copy of Win7 Home Premium goes for, give or take.

 

[steiner666]

yeah, good to see its just counterfeiting theyre cracking down on

 

[Immoral Medic]

yeah, go ahead and stop counterfeiting.....I could care less about it..

 

[rooket]

All they gotta do is smuggle the blank discs and it'll be difficult to trace.

 

[badaxe2]

Cool. After this they won't have an excuse for not supporting PC gaming.

 

[lukeeu]

[citation][nom]working_for_the_man[/nom]"2000 Dollars gaming Rig?..thats just a myth"I have 900.00 bucks just in water cooling and 1500.00 just in video cards. Then lets talk about the 300.00 MB and the 700.00 ram or wait the 800.00 hd and the 650.00 ssd??? How can you say a 2000 gaming rig is a myth?[/citation]
I have 150$ in liquid cooling, 600$ in the cpu,ram,mb,hd,case,psu. It's over two years old and I just recently had to start lowering settings from "max" to "above PS3". The truth is people buy 1000+$ desktops only places like in US and Western Europe where you earn 100$/day. When you move to Central Europe where you get 30$/day (50 years of communism) people buy gaming rigs around 500-800$. And then there are 5.8bln people who don't live in high income countries and get there computers while earning 10$/day or less.

 

[Guest]

I never understood how this was considered "counterfeiting". As far as I can tell, the "counterfeit" disc has the exact same content as a "genuine" one, the same software, the same bits, all arranged in the same way. It's just a copy of the original, with no loss (or gain) of quality in the final result. This isn't like Chinese knock-offs of popular products. The only difference is that Microsoft gets money when a "genuine" disc is sold, and they get no money when a "counterfeit" one is sold. Meanwhile, the end user gets the exact same slow, buggy experience. But the end user with a "counterfeit" disc didn't pay as much for his own suffering.

 

[ragequit]

The Majority of this type of piracy/illiegal distribution of physical copies is in 3rd World Countries, where it is open in the streets. I will say about all the discussion about lower prices... I pirate crap, expecially anything made by Ubisoft, but Steam has done it right, they are the only place I keep comming back to to actually purcahse games. They had LFD 2 for $10 a couple of weeks ago, you really cain't beat that. So in my book, lower prices are the answer to fighting piracy in developed countries, but for 3rd world countries or less developed countreis, thats a different story...

 

[SAL-e]

[citation][nom]randomizer[/nom]People who pay for a product have a reasonable expectation that they are getting a genuine product. Dodgy system builders, who often install pirated copies of software and sell it with their overpriced gaming PCs on eBay, need to be locked up along with these factory owners.[/citation]
But this is not piracy or counterfeiting. It is fraud. So MS should not be the one going after the dodgy builder. Private corporation should not be allowed to become a proxy law enforcement. What MS should do in this case is to provide support for people that have been ripped off to go after the dodgy builder. (legal and technical expertise)
It becomes a piracy when the user knows a head of the time that system comes with pirated Windows. In this case it becomes questionable a bit why MS should be allowed to go after the builder. After all the builder provided service to the user, the user actually broke the law.
I am opposing the copyrights in current form and I believe that piracy is result of bad copyright laws.
That said, I oppose that kind of piracy because in result MS finds way to make money on it. I am with you when you say. If you can't or don't want to pay for software please use free one. The more people start doing so, more free software will be available very soon.
For MS the worst nightmare is to see Linux hitting 20% of the desktop market. At that point they will slash the prices of Windows and other software to bare minimum, just to stop the free software. At that point ISV will be quite stupid not to go after 20% of the market share and I can bet you that we are going to see all games available for Linux also.

 

[failboat]

Anyone seen the iPed, lol.

 

[dEAne]

Yes I believe all this, go get the big fish not the smallest one.

 

[crus_russ]

[citation][nom]o0RaidR0o[/nom]Actually I beg to differ even further, what people do on uTorrents isn't piracy either, it's File sharing. They don't wear eye patches, the don't ride the high seas, and unlike pirates they don't take away anything from others. Pirates tend to steal your possession, the only copy of said possession, for either personal gain or re-sale. File sharer's merely make copies and share them with others willingly, without duress or threat.[/citation]

Are you crazy??? You dont know anything about software. The files/disc itself is not "owned" by the purchaser, you buy a "license" to use software. So by making a copy (ie through file sharing or otherwise) you are using the software WITHOUT PURCHASING A LICENSE, which **IS** Software PIRACY.

So by your logic, because the modern definition of the word doesnt match the ancient definition, then the law (which has evolved since to cover these crimes) doesnt apply anymore? Wow you have strange thinking man...

 

[Guest]

The solution is to use another type of license like GPL or similar, this will eliminate the piracy and boost both development and allow releases of security patches a lot faster than once a month. GPL will still allow the software companies to earn money.

 

[blackbeastofaaaaagh]

I am all for stopping counterfeiting. Governments really need to clamp down on this global menace.

Going gung-ho after individual torrent users, I think is clearly counter-productive. I firmly believe that such people wouldn't have bought the genuine software any ways due to economic constraints. However when such people do have the funds, if you have a worthy product, you now have a hooked user to give you his/her business.

It is no secret that the more song you download the more genuine CDs you are likely to own. People who download SW are likely to spend more time doing things on computers.

I remember way back in the 90s when Gates made his first high profile talk in China, "...the vast majority of Chinese users of Windows are using unlicensed copies. Still, we'd prefer that if you are going to use a copy of someone's OS, that it be ours."

 

[eddieroolz]

Good effort by Microsoft, these efforts need to be stopped when they profit from fake software.