Has Microsoft's WGA backfired?

Has Microsoft's WGA backfired?

Microsoft's attempt to check piracy by introducing the Windows Genuine Advantage program is threatening to snowball into a huge controversy after thousands of Windows users complained that the software has deemed their copy as illegal and they were forced to spend extra in order to get another copy although the original was good enough.

"Eighty percent of all WGA validation failures are due to unauthorized use of leaked or stolen volume license keys," insisted a Microsoft spokeswoman. However the fact that some users are unaware of whether their copy is pirated is causing a big furor. Microsoft has been accused of spying on users and invading their privacy. Last week a second lawsuit was filed against Redmond for allegedly incorporating spyware into WGA. But Microsoft has defended itself, "We're confident that the allegations made in these suits are without merit," said company spokesman Jim Dessler. "They really do distort the objectives of our anti-piracy program and obscure the real issue here, which is the harm caused by piracy and counterfeiting not only to Microsoft, but to our customers."

Another step that has irritated customers is that if WGA feels that Windows is illegal, automatic updates like the Internet Explorer 7 and Media Player 11 are blocked off. The critical updates are still available, but users are seething over this.

Neil MacBride, a vice president of Legal Affairs for the Business Software Association, a group which lobbies for anti-piracy measures said Microsoft was acting within its rights, "With worldwide losses to piracy at $34 billion in 2005 and a global piracy rate of 35 percent, every effort to encourage users to become compliant helps," he said. "A recent IDC/BSA study showed that if the piracy rate were to drop 10 points to 25 percent, it would create as many as 2.4 million new jobs, $400 billion in economic growth and $67 billion in tax revenues worldwide."

A Windows user told UPI that Microsoft was right to deactivate pirated copies, "Still, I don't think that a daily check is a good thing. It infringes on privacy. It would make more sense if it checked when you grabbed security patches or updates."