Microsoft has come up with a revolutionary new idea to stop piracy of its products: users of pirated versions of the operating system will receive a legal key for their software and a setup CD, in exchange for revealing the identity of the seller. In their new grass-up-the-pirate exchange scheme, users of pirated copies of Windows will be offered legit copies of XP Pro if they can prove that they are using a "high-quality" copy of Windows XP that closely resembles the original Windows package.
Microsoft said that only edge-to-edge hologram CDs are considered for a free replacement. The participation in the program also requires users to agree to a full scan of their system files and to reveal the identity of the seller of the counterfeit software.
Users of "low-quality" pirated versions of Windows XP also can request an update to a legal version of Windows XP. In this case, the upgrade how is not free of charge and costs $149.