Whether it is in film and television entertainment such as music, games and movies, or some more commonly used application software, piracy has always been a difficult problem to solve. Not only will this directly affect the hard work of software developers, causing them to be unable to get the income they deserve, but users who install this pirated program on their computers will also have to face various potential security issues, and may accidentally install Trojans or ransomware. But in addition to vigorously attacking piracy, if pirate users can be willing to actively start using genuine software, that seems to be another feasible way.
As one of the world’s largest software giants, Microsoft has always been affected by piracy, especially its Windows operating system and application software such as Office. By now, Microsoft officials seem to have long understood that it is an almost impossible task to completely eliminate piracy. Therefore, instead of directly confronting pirate users and providers, Microsoft has recently begun to try a completely different approach. It provides some benefits to pirate users of its Office applications to encourage them to take the initiative to “abandon the darkness and turn to the light.”
according to Ghacks According to reports on the website, some users who have been using pirated Office software for a long time have recently begun to receive some notices from Microsoft, which directly provide them with a 50% discount on genuine Office. Interestingly, they seem to be hoping that pirate users will try their Office 365 subscription plan. Since pirated Office users usually use the offline version, whether this attractive offer can really attract them to use the genuine version seems to be still full of unknowns. After all, these users are already accustomed to “free” and may not be willing to register for a Microsoft account.
When a user goes to the Microsoft-providedlinkAfter that, you can directly go to the payment page of Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365). In addition to showing the differences and options of various plan versions, Microsoft also left a warning stating that pirated software will expose users’ computers to security threats, such as being attacked by viruses and malware, resulting in files and other data being lost or stolen, and being unable to obtain the latest updates of the software. However, it is worth noting that it seems that only pirated users in specific regions can obtain the 50% discount, and it is still unclear whether Microsoft plans to expand the scope of this offer.
Having said that, users who use pirated versions of Office, in addition to paying to support the genuine version, still have many other options to ensure information security. For example, use the free and secure Office Online directly in the browser, or free alternatives such as the open source LibreOffice.
Source: KOCPC Chinese