In what could be seen as the antithesis of 'speak like a pirate' day, Microsoft has announced that today is Global Anti Piracy Day. Launching several global initiatives, the aim is to raise awareness of the damage to software innovation that Microsoft says is caused by piracy.
As well as educating people about piracy, Microsoft has also initiated a huge list of legal proceedings that it's taking out against pirates. Microsoft isn't messing about when it says 'global' either. The list of 49 countries that Microsoft is targeting spans six continents, and ranges from the UK and the US all the way through to Chile, Egypt, Kuwait, Indonesia and China.
In the UK, Microsoft has this month brought two civil cases against alleged software pirates, who are accused of 'hard disk loading Windows Vista Ultimate, Office Enterprise 2007 and Office 2003. Microsoft has also compiled a list of all the illegal traders in the UK that Microsoft has identified as software pirates, which you can find here.
http://www.microsoft.com/uk/licensing/homeuser/illegal-traders.mspx
Meanwhile, in the US, Microsoft has announced that it's taking legal action against 20 software resellers in nine states, which it says 'allegedly sold pirated copies of Microsoft Windows XP Professional and multiple versions of Office.' Microsoft's attorney, Sharon Cates, explained that 'it is important to take the economic advantage out of pirating and counterfeiting in order to protect partners and customers.' She also added that 'Microsoft will continue to work to protect the channel, through resources and initiatives, from businesses that operate dishonestly.'
Microsoft says that 'the collective impact of piracy in the U.S. is serious,' and cites the findings of the Fifth Annual BSA/IDC Global Software Piracy Study, claiming that 'software piracy and counterfeiting cost the U.S. economy more than $8 billion US in 2007 — roughly the equivalent of paying for the entire National School Lunch Program.'
As well as all the legal proceedings, Microsoft is also hoping to educate kids in some countries about the impact of piracy. One such initiative is a blog scheme it's launched with the American Chamber of Commerce for Brazil, which Microsoft says 'to raise awareness among Brazilian educators about the importance of teaching young students about innovation and the high costs of piracy.'
Microsoft has also launched a video to explain today's announcement, which you can see below. Are you worried about the impact of piracy on innovation in the software industry, or do you have no sympathy for Microsoft at all? Let us know your thoughts.
Source:
http://www.custompc.co.uk/news/605058/microsoft-announces-global-anti-piracy-day.html
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Uhm, can anyone say fail again?
As well as educating people about piracy, Microsoft has also initiated a huge list of legal proceedings that it's taking out against pirates. Microsoft isn't messing about when it says 'global' either. The list of 49 countries that Microsoft is targeting spans six continents, and ranges from the UK and the US all the way through to Chile, Egypt, Kuwait, Indonesia and China.
In the UK, Microsoft has this month brought two civil cases against alleged software pirates, who are accused of 'hard disk loading Windows Vista Ultimate, Office Enterprise 2007 and Office 2003. Microsoft has also compiled a list of all the illegal traders in the UK that Microsoft has identified as software pirates, which you can find here.
http://www.microsoft.com/uk/licensing/homeuser/illegal-traders.mspx
Meanwhile, in the US, Microsoft has announced that it's taking legal action against 20 software resellers in nine states, which it says 'allegedly sold pirated copies of Microsoft Windows XP Professional and multiple versions of Office.' Microsoft's attorney, Sharon Cates, explained that 'it is important to take the economic advantage out of pirating and counterfeiting in order to protect partners and customers.' She also added that 'Microsoft will continue to work to protect the channel, through resources and initiatives, from businesses that operate dishonestly.'
Microsoft says that 'the collective impact of piracy in the U.S. is serious,' and cites the findings of the Fifth Annual BSA/IDC Global Software Piracy Study, claiming that 'software piracy and counterfeiting cost the U.S. economy more than $8 billion US in 2007 — roughly the equivalent of paying for the entire National School Lunch Program.'
As well as all the legal proceedings, Microsoft is also hoping to educate kids in some countries about the impact of piracy. One such initiative is a blog scheme it's launched with the American Chamber of Commerce for Brazil, which Microsoft says 'to raise awareness among Brazilian educators about the importance of teaching young students about innovation and the high costs of piracy.'
Microsoft has also launched a video to explain today's announcement, which you can see below. Are you worried about the impact of piracy on innovation in the software industry, or do you have no sympathy for Microsoft at all? Let us know your thoughts.
Source:
http://www.custompc.co.uk/news/605058/microsoft-announces-global-anti-piracy-day.html
====
Uhm, can anyone say fail again?