Microsoft unveils new anti-piracy measure in China amidst strong protests

Microsoft is starting a new crusade against pirated software, and this time it has China on its sights, the country where the vast majority of 200 million computer users are believed to be using counterfeit software, unwittingly or not.

The software tool, released on Tuesday as an update to Windows Vista operating system, turns the user's screen black if the installed software fails a validation test. The user will then have to restart the computer but the blackout will recur in another hour. Previously, such warnings were limited to a message at log-on and periodic secondary notices that popped up in a small balloon; the desktop was not altered, and the software didn't put a persistent message on the screen.

However, this measure has angered a lot of Chinese users who accused the company of infringing on their rights and targeting them instead of the sellers of such software. Blog posts on the Internet have been full of such accusations over the last week.

Beijing lawyer Dong Zhengwei filed a complaint with China's Ministry of Public Security on Sunday, reported People's Daily Wednesday. According to the state-run publication, Dong called Microsoft "the biggest hacker in China" and claimed that the update to Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA), Microsoft's anti-counterfeit notification and validation technology, was in violation of Chinese law.

"Microsoft's measure will cause serious functional damage to users' computers and, according to China's criminal law, the company can stand accused of breaching and hacking into computer systems of Chinese," Dong told the newspaper.

The China Software Industry Association (CSIA), the country's software trade group, is also planning to take action against Microsoft, according to People's Daily. "It [Microsoft's measure] is very bad, and the whole industry in China must take it seriously," CSIA Director Chen Chong told the publication Monday. Microsoft's China operation is a member of the CSIA.

In response, Microsoft issued a public letter on Thursday defending its "black out" tool to stamp out piracy in China and attempting to clear up "misunderstandings" over the measure.
In the letter, the company stressed that it would not collect personal information via its WGA program, aiming to assuage fears of possible privacy infringements. "People are attaching more importance to intellectual property protection, but we notice there is still a long way to go," it said.