This is a few days old, but I thought I would pass it along.

Microsoft Expands Windows Piracy Check
Thursday, March 31, 2005

More users will have to validate their OS before downloading software.

At an unspecified date in mid-2005 Microsoft will require all Windows XP and Windows 2000 users to validate their copy of Windows before they can download software from the Download Center or Windows Update Web site, the company has said.

ALSO,
Software piracy is a major issue for Microsoft. In the U.S. alone, almost a quarter of all Windows users run an illegal copy. However, one problem the software maker faces is that many users running illegal copies of Windows don't know that their software is pirated. Users who discover that they have a pirated copy of Windows will be offered a genuine version of Windows at a discount, Microsoft has said.

Read more about this here at pcworld.com,

http://www.pcworld.com/resource/article/0,aid,120249,pg,1,RSS,RSS,00.asp

I'm not ignorant, I just need more learning!

I'll be interested to see if they manage to snoop w2k.

M2

The Redmond, Washington-based software maker has gradually been expanding the piracy check, beginning with certain international versions of Windows XP. "Currently Download Center visitors using Norwegian, Czech, and Simplified Chinese versions of Windows are required to validate their copy of Windows.!"

hmm lets see how the EU takes to that !
could be construed as racist policy what about ROW? (ps,ive not seen Norwegian pirates since the Vikings.)
joking apart pirates dont care full stop so whats the point?
they are hardly going to have sleepless nights are they? (checks out of the window for longboats:)
The answer: M$ sell it cheaper & put the pirates out of business.