Microsoft to use comics in antipiracy campaign
Microsoft is expanding its fight against software piracy with a new educational effort that includes comics.
The online campaign, set to start on Monday, is meant to tell people the benefits of using properly licensed software. It covers such aspects as awareness of intellectual property rights, risks of using pirated products, proper licensing practices and legalization of fraudulent products.
“We want to enable customers to make informed decisions that are best for their business by providing them with the facts that they need,” Cori Hartje, director of Microsoft’s Genuine Software Initiative, said in an interview.
Microsoft has escalated its effort to combat piracy since mid-2005. Windows users now have to electronically verify their license with Microsoft before downloading additional Microsoft software such Internet Explorer 7. Also, Microsoft pushes out a utility that checks whether Windows installations are legitimate through the same Automatic Updates feature it uses to distribute security patches.
While some of the measures have irked some users, Microsoft says such steps are justified because piracy is rampant and hurting its sales. More than a third of all software installed in 2005 was pirated or unlicensed, according to figures from the Business Software Alliance, an industry group.
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