Windows 10 Free for Software Pirates – But Remains 'Non-Genuine'
When Microsoft announced on March 18 that they are offering free upgrades to the newest version of their operating system Windows 10 even to PC users who have pirated copies of the Microsoft OS, it made the headlines in most technology magazines. Microsoft was "willing to forgive and forget" when it comes to software pirates and rightly so, according to reports.
According to PC World, the company wants to "establish a more unified Windows ecosystem, with a modern app store and cloud services like Cortana and OneDrive. Extending the upgrade offer to pirated versions would give Microsoft a larger potential user base for those services." This was declared by Microsoft's Terry Myerson.
Microsoft is primarily targeting PC users in China, a majority of which are still using pirated copies of Microsoft XP. The report provides a background about this move as companies such as Apple and Xiaomi have established their own software and services in the country and Microsoft needs to urgently do the same.
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A few days after however, they burst their own bubble by revealing that although the upgrade will be free to users who have any pirated Windows OS in their devices, their copy of the OS will still be marked as "non-genuine."
In another report in PC World, the company made the following statement to Ars Technica: "With Windows 10, although non-Genuine PCs may be able to upgrade to Windows 10, the upgrade will not change the genuine state of the license ... If a device was considered non-genuine or mislicensed prior to the upgrade, that device will continue to be considered non-genuine or mislicensed after the upgrade."
When asked about what it means to have "non-genuine" software and its implications on future security and other updates for illegitimate copies, the company did not share any additional details, according to the report. This revelation may be enough for software pirates to reconsider Microsoft's free upgrade offer.
