The former Mega owner proposes a way to stop piracy

Sep 28, 2015 08:59 GMT  ·  By

It's no secret that piracy is one of Microsoft's biggest problems right now, and despite all efforts to crack down on illegal activities that could support counterfeited software, many PCs out there are still running illegal copies of Windows.

The concern is now that the same high level of piracy could impact Windows 10 too, so Microsoft should take a moment and listen to a suggestion made by Kim Dotcom, the former owner of Mega, who says he has the recipe to stop piracy.

In a post on Twitter recent, Dotcom explains the five things that in his opinion are critical for a software company to prevent piracy:  

1. Create great stuff
2. Make it easy to buy
3. Same day worldwide release
4. Works on any device
5. Fair price

Microsoft's Windows 10's case

As far as the new Windows 10 is concerned, piracy isn't yet an issue, but it could become one soon because ways to bypass activation methods in a second have already been discovered and they aren't too difficult to find if you know where to look.

Of course, many consumers have already got Windows 10 completely free of charge if they were running a genuine copy of Windows 7 or 8.1, but if they weren't, they’ve probably turned down to such methods anyway in order to get the new OS.

So if we apply Dotcom's piracy solution in Microsoft's case, it seems that the Redmond software giant isn't quite meeting all criteria for a product that doesn't need to be pirated, so Windows 10 might be exposed to this kind of risk anyway.

A wrap-up of Microsoft's Windows 10 approach when taking into account Kim Dotcom's suggestion would look like this:

1. Create great stuff - Windows 10 is not really that great (some say it is, others say not so much - there are simply too many bugs, errors, and installation problems right now) 2. Make it easy to buy - Windows 10 is indeed easy to buy and you can find both online and at retailers, as well as pre-installed on a number of PCs 3. Same day worldwide release - some PCs are still waiting to get the upgrade 4. Works on any device - Windows 10 does work on any device, but phones are yet to get it (the release is expected to take place next month) 5. Fair price - Windows 10 cost $119.99, while Windows 10 Pro is priced at $199.99