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Not So Sure About WGA

I got a couple of reminders last week from Microsoft about how Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) works and why it's so important (at least to Microsoft).

The company is hoping I'll pass on this information about anti-piracy to customers and partners so we can all do our part in protecting Microsoft's revenue stream.

But in reading the description, I was left with a nagging doubt. I'm not an anti-piracy technology guru, so the need for WGA to regularly check the software after it was initially confirmed as legit is puzzling.

As a user, I must prove in the first month of using Vista that I paid for the copy. Thereafter, Microsoft pings my computer to make sure my copy is still legit -- as if I've stopped payment on the check, or something.

Is there a technical reason that my underdeveloped brain can't fathom? Let me know at [email protected].

Posted by Doug Barney on May 01, 2007


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