Microsoft Starts Antipiracy Initiatives in 70 Countries

In addition to enforcement and engineering improvements to fight piracy, Microsoft has started pushing education initiatives in 70 countries. Microsoft has simultaneously launched education initiatives in more than 70 countries to help protect consumers and increase awareness of the risks of counterfeit software. Named Microsoft Consumer Action Day, the push includes an intellectual property rights education program in schools across China, an originals club for software resellers in Germany, a risk-of-counterfeit training course for the consumer protection authority in Mexico, a children's online safety program in Greece, and a study of piracy's impact on small and midsize businesses in Argentina. Details about these efforts are available at Microsoft.com/HowToTell and (800) RU-LEGIT (785-3448). 

In addition to the education initiatives, Microsoft has also improved its engineering and enforcement efforts. On the engineering front, Microsoft has improved the product activation and validation process with Windows Activation Technologies (WAT) in Windows 7.

When it comes to enforcement, Microsoft has invested in nine Product Identification (PID) Analysis Labs around the world where forensic experts use sophisticated tools (such as digital disc fingerprinting and optical manufacturing tracking) to examine counterfeit software. They then provide critical information to local law enforcement agencies, which in turn pursue criminal software counterfeiting syndicates; so far the PID Analysis Labs has led to over 1,000 customs border patrol seizures of counterfeit software in just over two years. Microsoft is also assisting government agencies and law enforcement in more than 300 civil cases.

Most of the enforcement cases Microsoft announced today are a direct result of tips and reports from consumers. In fact, the company has received more than 150,000 voluntary reports in the past two years (more than double the amount of previous records). The software giant says this increase "reflects growing concern for the harm caused by counterfeit software and Microsoft's efforts to give people a voice in the fight against software counterfeiting."

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