Microsoft has shifted its attitude towards piracy. Instead of trying to crack down on it by putting people in jail (mostly using the BSA) and stopping them from being able to use it (via Activation), Microsoft is now trying to convince owners of pirated Windows to buy a legitimate copy of Windows by denying them from downloading free software.

One such free software is Microsoft’s Anti-Spyware tool, which is currently free to anyone, but soon (once it’s out of Beta) will become available for free only to those that have a legitimate copy of Windows.

How does Microsoft know that you have a legitimate copy, you ask? Well, they use a nifty little ActiveX/EXE called Microsoft Genuine Advantage that checks your serial key against their database of serial keys, and if it is a legitimate serial key you are given an authenticity number to give back to the Microsoft web site which in turn will give you access to the download page.

As always with software piracy, shortly after the release of the Microsoft Genuine Advantage, the program was cracked and you can “now” get an authenticity number even if you are not using a legitimate copy of Windows.

However, even if this scheme is bypassed using a cracked version of the Microsoft Genuine Advantage tool, it still marks a shift in the way Microsoft handles piracy. I truly believe pirates will understand what they lose if they don’t buy a legitimate copy when such programs as these are more common, this is very similar in concept to buying a stolen copy of an Antivirus program but never being able to update it as its a stolen copy.

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