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Reassuring Microsoft's fight against software piracy, they introduced today a set of security technologies which they call Software Protection Platform. The first two products to be shipped with the new security built-in will be Windows Vista and Windows Server “Longhorn.”

“The Software Protection Platform has been under development for several years. It brings together new anti-piracy innovations, counterfeit detection and tamper-resistant features into a complete platform that provides better software protection to programs that leverage it,” said Cori Hartje, Director of Microsoft Genuine Software Initiative.
This security technology is meant to work with newer validation programs like Windows Genuine Advantage, and is expected to detect whether the software installed in your computer is using a legal licence or not. In the particular case of Windows Vista, this would translate in leaving out features like Windows Aero, Windows ReadyBoost as well as online updates. According to the information released by Microsoft, if it is determined that your copy of Windows is not valid you will have a permanent message saying, “This copy of Windows is not genuine”. Microsoft will not shut out pirate copies of Windows, but instead is looking to greatly enhance the “genuine” experience. More details can be found on Microsoft announcement.