Microsoft today announced that Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA), Microsoft’s initiative to help users to realize the benefits of genuine licensed software, has gone live in the South Gulf region. WGA is part of Microsoft's ongoing commitment to protect customers from software counterfeiting and help support its partners through education, engineering and enforcement of policies and laws. The initiative has already been piloted in several countries, and goes live worldwide today.
WGA is designed to differentiate the value of genuine Windows software from counterfeit software, enable customers to enjoy the capabilities they expect from their software and provide them with the confidence that their software is authentic, and delivers ongoing system improvements available only to genuine users.
One way to fight counterfeit software is to ensure that users recognize and receive all the benefits of genuine software. Customers participating in WGA have easy access to updates, added-value software offerings and other benefits of genuine Microsoft Windows.
“During the ten-month pilot of WGA, we have been very encouraged by the large number of customers—more than 40 million globally—who chose to participate in WGA because they were concerned about piracy and wanted a way to determine whether their Windows software is genuine,” said Mazen Shehadeh, Desktop Product Manager for Microsoft South Gulf. “It also became clear that customers enjoy the benefits reserved for genuine users, with the peace-of-mind that their software will deliver the features, options and performance they need.”
Upon their first visit to the Microsoft Download Center, Windows Update or Microsoft Update, customers will be asked to participate in WGA. Customers will be prompted to download an ActiveX control which checks the authenticity of their Windows software and, if successful in validating Windows, stores a special download key on the PC for future verification. After successful validation, the customer may continue their download. Customers who are using counterfeit software will be notified and will no longer be able to access downloads, apart from security updates, which remain available to all Windows users — with or without WGA validation — via the DC or Automatic Updates. The validation process does not collect any information that can be used by Microsoft to identify or contact the user.
“Microsoft South Gulf strongly values our relationships with partners and customers,” said Abdullatif Al Mulla, General Manager for Microsoft South Gulf. “While Microsoft is requiring customers to validate their software, we are offering them a range of benefits and incentives to them. We are also helping our reseller and system builder partners, who often have difficulty competing with the low prices offered by software counterfeiters - WGA helps them to show the value of genuine software. We are giving our customers the benefits of genuine software and supporting our partners’ business activities, thereby ensuring maximum advantages for both.”
About Microsoft Corporation
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software - any time, any place and on any device. Microsoft opened its Dubai-based Middle East office in 1991. Microsoft today has five subsidiaries in the Middle East region: Microsoft South Gulf which oversees Microsoft activities in the UAE, Oman, Yemen and Pakistan, Microsoft North Gulf which oversees Microsoft activities in Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar, Microsoft Arabia covering the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Microsoft East Med covering , Lebanon, Jordan, Cyprus and Malta and Microsoft Egypt. Microsoft Corporation's address on the World Wide Web is: www.microsoft.com Microsoft Middle East's Web site is: www.microsoft.com/middleeast
