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Microsoft Offers Pirates Amnesty and Free Windows 10 Upgrades

Posted by Soulskill on from the fighting-fire-with-free-gasoline dept.

An anonymous reader writes: Microsoft will make Windows 10 available as a free upgrade even to pirated copies of other Windows operating systems in China. Terry Myerson of Microsoft's operating systems unit made the announcement at the WinHEC technology conference in Shenzhen, China, and then told Reuters, "We are upgrading all qualified PCs, genuine and non-genuine, to Windows 10." Microsoft has a history of attempting to tackle massive and rising software piracy rates in Asia and developing countries, and periodically offers low-cost "licence amnesties" to the worst-offending countries, such as Indonesia and Kenya. Update: 03/18 14:59 GMT by S : Microsoft has clarified that the free upgrade will be offered for unlicensed copies of Windows worldwide, not just in China.

9 of 322 comments (clear)

  1. where do I sign up by MancunianMaskMan · · Score: 5, Funny

    Have hokey windows97 license which has been used very occasionally for years despite "Genuine Advantage" warnings. Since I just upgraded my computer can I swap that for shiny new windows10? I'm not chinese BTW

    1. Re:where do I sign up by NotDrWho · · Score: 5, Funny

      Windows 97? Wow, how did you get ahold of that version.

      From a Shanghai street vendor, of course.

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      SJW's don't eliminate discrimination. They just expropriate it for themselves.
  2. Re:so, the key to amnesty... by NotDrWho · · Score: 4, Funny

    The Chinese people are too big to flail.

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    SJW's don't eliminate discrimination. They just expropriate it for themselves.
  3. Re:so, the key to amnesty... by ColdWetDog · · Score: 4, Funny

    Why not, everyone else does.

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    Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
  4. Re:Don't take it - its a trap by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Then you pirate the upgrade. Come on now.

  5. Other OSes have been doing this by hcs_$reboot · · Score: 4, Funny

    Ubuntu has been doing that since the beginning - free upgrade from any version to any version! Even for the pirated ones!

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    Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
  6. Re:so, the key to amnesty... by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 3, Funny

    Remind me again which pirate was sentenced to death

    Jack Sparrow.

    --
    systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
  7. Re:so, the key to amnesty... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    And, of course, the NSA has partnered with Microsoft to install new, more covert, monitoring backdoors into Windows 10, and the American government is obviously keen on getting that surveillance network globally installed with maximum penetration...so they probably subsidize every copy of windows that gets installed (and shows up in their monitoring network), whether it was purchased or not.

    Anyone who thinks this isn't exactly what is going on (given the Snowden and subsequent revelations) is simply being naive. You should automatically assume that any proprietary software you obtain (including the firmware on your hardware) is spying on you. Because it is.

  8. Re:I want to get paid by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Mod me troll, but upgrading for free will not do it for me, I want to get paid to upgrade to W10... even than will think about it