Microsoft: Pirates Can Get Windows 10 For Free

Microsoft is offering Chinese users of pirated Windows software a free upgrade to Windows 10. It appears to be a case of profit over principle that may also have security benefits.

Virtually all users of Windows 7 and 8.1 around the world will already qualify for a free upgrade to Windows 10 when it's released, something Microsoft now says will be "this summer." However, in most places that only applies to legitimate users.

Things are very different in China, however, which has a combination of an increasingly wealthy tech-loving population and loose government policing of intellectual property rights. A 2013 report by a software industry group estimated 74 percent of all software run in China is pirated, compared with 43 percent across the world as a whole. (Source: bbc.co.uk)

Free Windows 10 Move Could Increase App Sales

Microsoft isn't saying much about the plans, other than that it wants to "re-engage" with Windows users in China, even those who no longer pay for the software. (Source: reuters.com)

While it may appear crazy to reward pirates, the move does make a lot of practical sense for Microsoft. It's unlikely to cost the firm too much money as the chances are most Chinese users who already pirate Windows would have done so again with Windows 10 and had no intention for paying for the system.

Expanding the user base by switching the pirates onto legal copies also expands the potential audience for selling software through the Windows store, which will be front and center in the system. That's particularly important given that Microsoft is now focused on the idea that operating systems should be cheap or even free, with money instead made the sale of applications.

Security Could Get A Boost

It's also possible the move could enhance security in a couple of ways. Firstly, it reduces the risk of people in China trying to find ways around Microsoft's authentication programs and as a result not installing security updates. Secondly, it could deter people from feeling the need to visit sites that host pirated software in order to upgrade to Windows 10; such sites may also have an increased risk of housing and distributing malicious software such as viruses.

One drawback may be the publicity that results from the move. Giving pirates a break in China and nowhere else may come across as unfairly rewarding users in the country specifically because piracy is so rife there.

What's Your Opinion?

Is Microsoft right to offer free upgrades to Windows pirates? Should it expand the offer to users worldwide? Or is the move unfair to legitimate users who've paid for previous editions of Windows?