Microsoft recently carried out their very own survey which revealed the best places to buy pirated copies of Windows 7. Lets just say that if I were Microsoft I wouldn’t be too happy with the results. It turns out that the Russians are the biggest pirates of Windows 7 around.
According to the survey, Moscow is the biggest culprit for pirated copies of Windows 7. More than 25 percent of the dealers in the city sold pirated copies of the software. Also, one in ten of the dealers had the audacity to come to your house and install the illegal software for you.
Microsoft has surveyed 2500 computer and software retailers in 53 cities across the Russian Federation. The Far Eastern parts of Russia but the likes of China and India to shame when it comes to software piracy. Places likes Yekaterinburg recorded a massive 41 percent of pirated sales, Chelyabinsk 30 percent and Moscow 27 percent. However Moscow wins the pirate game due to the sheer volume of the Win 7 DVDs sold. And according to Yuri Zlobin, the head of the anti-piracy association, “The Russian Shield”, it was a lot worse than that in Moscow and reckons the figure is higher than that.
China are also getting in on the pirate scene. Russia has the second largest market for pirated products after China. Quite an alarming amount of pirated versions of Windows 7 are being sold openly in stores and markets throughout China. What’s more, they aren’t been sold on DVD’s, but instead on 8GB USB Drives. Quite ironic when you consider that Microsoft were debating on whether or not to sell Windows 7 via USB keys. And how much do these pirated copies of Windows 7 cost? Well, 98 yuan, or about $14! You would be lucky to even get an 8GB USB key here for that price!
But what’s even worse is the fact that you can buy a legal edition of Windows 7 in China for a mere $58, yet people still opt for the illegal pirated copies. Obviously China isn’t the only nation pirating Windows 7, India has followed suit and the pirates are selling the OS for as little as Rs 500 ($10) and those in Philippines are selling Microsoft’s latest operating system for a pitiful $1.5!
I think it’s disgraceful the amount pirated copies of Windows 7 being sold, and those who are buying them are even bigger fools than the ones who are distributing them. Lots of software now a days will not install unless it can certify that you have a genuine copy of Windows and they are constantly releasing updates and patches which will deactivate your illegal copy of Windows.
Source:
India.com
You forgot to mention the Middle East, which is the land of piracy. People there don’t know the meaning of genuine, and this is the fact. The reason behind this, is that the majority of pirates don’t see this as stealing, because they think that stealing must be done on something physical. This comes from the shortage of knowledge in thier minds, and I always work hard to tell them to avoid this kind of behaviour which is prohibited in the religion before respecting copyrights.
I’m from the Middle East. Bulgaria, to be specific. But I think the reason for such great piracy is that people here can’t afford to buy legal software. I’m now using a pirated copy of Windows 7 and this is my first pirated OS. I was lucky enough that my father has no problems giving me their enterprise XP from the place he works at. And this laptop I bought had preinstalled Vista on it. I don’t know if it’s strange but I didn’t have any problems with my activation and updates haven’t deactivated windows 7 yet.
Again, the reason for all this is that software coming outside of my country is just too expensive. All the things I’ve installed cost about 15000$ which is roughly the earnings of my family for a YEAR!
And finally I want to say that Bulgaria isn’t listed for two reasons: It’s a small country and unlike Russia, no one is buying pirated software for at least 5 years now. We just download and install it ourselves.
I want to ask someone from Western Europe and USA, what happens when they find illegal software on your computer? Not only software but movies, music etc.
“Lots of software now a days will not install unless it can certify that you have a genuine copy of Windows and they are constantly releasing updates and patches which will deactivate your illegal copy of Windows.”
Yea OK
bullsh*t
Well said.
Actually Microsoft just announced a new activation tech.. Probs coming next patch tuesday.. Pretty much gonna nuke every single 7 pirated edition out there.. The ones with non valid or duped product keys wont stand a chance.. Current patches just suck..
it’s now jul 2010 and my pirated copy of win 7 is still running hahahahaha. if you want to buy i can give it to you for $1
hey you didnt mentioned Pakistan in this..in our country it is being sold for Rs.60 ($0.69) on dvd’s..dont you think it is the lowest price for windows 7 in the whole world…
nope, i get it for free….tpb, of course….
why would you pay for an illegal copy of anything?! – thats even dumber than actually pirating….
they buy it coz they have no time to download it and test it if it is virus malware ridden.
yeh you r right …i too got it free from torrent..but one of my friend bought that dvd…and for my surprise when i asked him about the edition of windows 7..he said windows 7 ultimate N..:) and he was complaining me that there was an error during installation due to which it didnt include windows media player..hahaha:)
He didnt even knew about diffrence between windows 7 ultimate and windows 7 ultimate N
You guys talk about piracy and you have no idea about how much money ppl make.
Im from Middle East as well, Greece. Here piracy is going insane but you know what, you can’t do shit about it, ppl as the dude from Bulgaria said (i love bansko) can’t afford software that costs twice as much as they gain monthly?
I was able to get a windows 7 copy from amazon and thats because it had a better price if you pre-ordered it and ofc i think that if you have to pay for something let it be your OS.
That being said, how a person that makes 900euro per month and loves to draw and is creative is going to be able to buy adobe products? So don’t blame only pirates, blame microsoft that is selling windows for 300, blame adobe for selling their software for insane prices and the list goes on…
Entirely agree with the guy…although, i would add, that if a person, like myself (a student), needs some kind of software out there for whatever reason, except commercial, should be able to get the software for close to nothing (like $50?). The reason being is: when you people, high school students or college students explore the world and their interests, they need professional software in order to learn how to use it and determine if they like it or not and then determine if they like the industry that the software is created for (ex. AutoCAD or 3dsMAX – Engineering, Architecture). I am a finance student, but i was always good with math, physics, and conceptual thinking in general. The problem why i didnt go for an Architecture/Engineering degree was because i cant draw for shit… and 5 years ago, architectural software was really shitty, but today, i tried modern software and i realize that Engineering and Architecture are exactly what I need to do, because i LOVE IT!
Now, without pirated software i would never be able to find my true calling and live a dull life as a financier.
I have dozens of friends who have same exact stories… Some friends were going for economics and finance degrees only then to realize that they like 3D modeling, design and Animation. Some friends wanted to become web developers, but not with HTML or JAVA, but with FLASH. Without pirated software they would not be where they are today.
Conclusion: Pirated software is a tricky subject, its a double-edged sword. On one hand it is stealing, but on the other hand this stealing actually results in people becoming successful through experimentation and trying different fields of interest, in the end producing professionals who work, pay taxes, and contribute to society and progress in general.
~Blade
For all of you running illegal copies of Win 7, you might want to read this NOW!
http://windowsteamblog.com/blogs/genuinewindows/archive/2010/02/11/windows-activation-technologies-update-for-windows-7.aspx
Doh, don’t install it..
here how you bypass it….skip the update and hide it.
Horrah!
it don’t work my windows 7 has been running for 6 mos now and still not having any problems. it think microsofts IT guys are dumb, getting their ass kick by pirates.
http://windows7news.com/2010/02/11/microsoft-plans-antipiracy-update-for-windows-7/
In Pakistan the version of win7 i would want to install will cost 65% of my salary, if it is subsidized like in china i’ll buy the genuine product in a breath.
Yaseen, have you considered installing something like Ubuntu 10.04
oO.. Microsoft continues effort against Anti-Piracy makes the market a steady growth..
Its a never ending battle between OEM and Pirates. The only solution for peace is to reduce the price drastically of commonly used Microsoft Products which will create a habit in people for purchasing the licensed versions.
The common products includes
Basic version of Operating system like Home versions which will cater all the basic needs of a common man
Microsoft Office is another product which could be considered for price reduction.
The price reduction process should not be a eyewash, the reduction should be more than half of its current value for certain period say for example 6-12 months.
I am sure Microsoft will have a considerable increase in the number of liscensed users.
I am damn sure that about 80% of Indians Use Pirated Software and in china it would be a whooping a 90% to 95%, even I am using a pirated Windows Xp because I could not afford a liscensed version.
Every multinational company I worked had Pirated software, say out of 500 Computers the license would be available for 25-50 computers the rest are all pirated.
The company i worked at last year had about 25-30 computers… all running legit winxp and legit office 2007, but every other big piece of software was pirated (ex: Adobe CS4 Master Suite, MS Visio, MS Project, and some others that i cant remember at the time)… and all of this is happening in US, you dont have to go to China, India, or Russia…
I own a pirated copy of Windows 7 too. The updates won`t deactivate the windows and if they do just close the updating process. I`ve never used them and I had XP SP2 for 3.5 years without updates and worked just fine. All my movies, games, music, programs work, so the windows updates are not very important if u have a good antivirus program. I use BitDefender 2010.
Dear Robert Boland
Thank you for the post, though I am a late comer to comments here.
In Bangladesh It will cost just $0.85 for a DVD of windows 7 Ultimate!
I have to pay $165 for a OEM copy of windows 7 Professional 64Bit and it just failed to activate after one month’s when I update my Bios version because of OEM. Then I have to activate by phone with another cost added around $3. I hate piracy, so I like to use original product. I have hand on experience with different home computer with my friends and family members. All are affected with Spyware and Malware with “automatic update off” because of their legitimate copy. When you failed to establish any proper anti-piracy awareness to the people then illegal business traders take the benefits of it.
Now would you please tell me that how Microsoft could sell a legal edition of Windows 7 in China for a mere $58, would you please define which version it is? When in Bangladesh I have to pay almost third times then the China price! Ok it could be Starter or Home Edition. Till now I have contacted Microsoft several times to change their marketing policy. I think they should ensure several servers for different countries and change the pricing for different nation. Now listen; I am Sr. Officer of a Company while my Salary is around $190, which is quite sufficient at the age of 28 in Bangladesh. I have to purchase w7 Pro OEM 64 Bit at $165. It has really a high price for me. Peoples are laughing to me when they hear that my OS is original and it cost BDT 11500 when my salary is BDT 13500. It is more than imagination to them that I hate piracy.
It is better for Microsoft to reduce the price and Build Specific installation keys for third world people and available source of original product instead of millions of legitimate OS. But definitely country like Russia could not avail this; and there should be a different policy applicable for India and China because of their population. Remember the population of different countries is also a fact for the business. Scandinavians can give you the money $300 x peoples of six or more nations when India could give you = $6 x peoples of one nation. The OS should support the native country and will not work when it goes abroad. I think it is possible for Desktop PCs.
Now; please make a calculation with me>>
A worker with minimum qualification in USA can earn $10 per hour, then it could make $100 per day after 8 hours regular work with 2 hours overtime. He can buy a windows 7 with his three days works>> $100 x 3 = $ 300 for a retail copy windows. If you compare it to a Bangladeshi worker then it will make $300 for Two – Three months income for above 75% peoples. People who have middle class income like me $200-$400, then it will equal to their one month’s salary. Please try to find a new way. It will solve illegal trade of windows OS all around the world.
I know that people who are intended to use duplicate they will not interested to purchase. Then you should make a system which will force you to buy original.
Regards
Noman Fayez
That’s the best news I’ve heard all day! Go pirates!
piracy ftw. you cant deny that. as for the patches, i loled at that. people nowadays are learning not to install them and pirates finding better cracks for them ;D