Microsoft has now gone live with its blocking technology that will require people to validate their copies of Windows before being allowed download access to updates. Genuine Advantage 1.0 program will check that anyone accessing Windows Update, Microsoft Update for Windows or the Microsoft Download Center has a genuine Windows operating system before allowing any downloads. Security updates will however be exempt from the ban.

Microsoft has been testing the program since September and has validated more than 48 million systems so far, said David Lazar, director of Genuine Windows for Microsoft. Until now the program has been voluntary. Customers who discover they have a counterfeit copy of Windows will either be given a free version of the operating system or can purchase it for a discounted price, he said.

To get the free version of Windows, a customer must fill out a counterfeit report identifying the source of the software, provide a proof of purchase and send in a counterfeit CD of the software. If customers don’t have all of that information, they can still fill out a counterfeit report and receive a copy of Windows XP Home Edition for $99 or a copy of Windows XP Professional Edition for $149, Lazar said. Windows XP Home normally sells for $199 and Windows XP Professional Edition usually costs $299.

The move to lock out pirated copies of Windows from the download sites is part of Microsoft’s effort to fight software piracy, a major issue for the software vendor.

News article from TechWorld.com
Microsoft’s press statement.