Windows 7 Leaked To Pirates By Microsoft?

nandemoari writes "The beta version of Windows 7 has been widely distributed through torrents and other file sharing systems. But now some commentators claim Microsoft deliberately allowed the package to get into the hands of pirates. 'I'm not being critical here, as some Microsoft Watch commenters will surely claim. It's rather smart marketing. Microsoft fills a big news void with something bloggers and journalists will write about. The suspense of stealth downloads from torrents and races to post the best screenshots first make the Windows 7 leak buzz all the more exciting. For other people, there is delight in seeing Microsoft squirm because Seven leaked early. Not that I see much squirming going on.'"

Comments

tag: hypocrisy?

[oneiros27]

Hmm... let's see ... pirated software, where even having it is proof that it's pirated, as it's not released yet. And yesterday's news on WGA convictions.

That's not hypocrisy -- that's a trojan horse.

Re:tag: hypocrisy?

[nacturation]

There's one thing you're not quite taking into consideration: patents. MS can't release anything in any form (including beta) and then file for a patent. They need to file for the patents first, and only once the paperwork hits the US PTO can they release a beta.

Another piece of advice: don't rely on random dudes on slashdot for legal advice, including me:

From http://www.bitlaw.com/patent/requirements.html:

In order for an invention to be patentable, it must be new as defined in the patent law. This novelty requirement states that an invention cannot be patented if certain public disclosures of the invention have been made. The statute which explains when a public disclosure has been made (35 U.S.C. Section 102) is complicated and often requires a detailed analysis of the facts and the law. The most important rule, however, is that an invention will not normally be patentable if:

• the invention was known to the public before it was "invented" by the individual seeking patent protection;
• the invention was described in a publication more than one year prior to the filing date; or
• the invention was used publicly, or offered for sale to the public more than one year prior to the filing date.

So as long as you file within a year of disclosure, you can still get a patent.

then why

[ionix5891]

would microsoft send me a take down notice to remove windows 7 files uploaded onto our hosting servers by one of our customers last week?

Re:If authenticode is cracked this time, there wil

[bmajik]

I may be misunderstanding you, but Authenticode is a technology used to verify the publisher of binaries so that there is some assurance "lol32.exe" is worth running.

As such, Authenticode isn't an anti-piracy feature insamuch as its an anti-malware feature. As and end user, you'd not want want this to be busted.

You may be thinking of WGA and WPA, the former being the "Genuine Advantage" stuff that Windows Update and MS Download center look for, and the latter being Product Activation [that cares about keys and key activation, etc].

The latter two are most certainly anti-piracy features and confer no functional/usability advantages to the enduser who isn't concerned with the legality/legitimacy of their installation.

I'll take you on...

[nitsnipe]

I appreciate your rappin',
Dat win dose's still crapin',
N' all the bloggers yappin',
Then watchin' pr0n n' fappin'.

Looks like Microsoft has grown a pair,
Taken on to torrents outa despair,
Thus the new OS' come to be,
The great Windows 7 conspiracy.
Some say 't looks similar to KDE,
N' other things based on BSD.

But I really dun give a shiz,
'Bout Aero, Aqua OR Compiz.
Just wanna have all my apps,
Run smooth as ass on x86.

peace

Common tactic

[crossmr]

This appears to be a common tactic for television producers. Around pre-season times there is an inevitable leak of almost all new shows that would appeal to the demographic that would know how to download them. This is in fact quite smart because they probably realize:
1)If these people will download a pre-air, they're probably going to download the regular show too, so downloading now or later has the same effect
2)People are going to talk about the show and give feedback
3)Leak it early enough and you might have a chance to tweak some things

now a TV show and operating system are in different places all together..but the concept is the same..