Microsoft is a supporter of Microsoft software products piracy. That sounds a tad redundant, I know, but it is nothing short of the truth. While some users might be temped to deploy counterfeit software, the Redmond Company would rather have them pirate Microsoft products instead of anything else. So the next time you find yourselves thinking about copying, deploying and using bootlegged software, give Microsoft a chance. By the looks of it, they'll really appreciate it.

"If they're going to pirate somebody, we want it to be us rather than somebody else," revealed Microsoft business group president Jeff Raikes, at the Morgan Stanley Technology conference in San Francisco. "We understand that in the long run the fundamental asset is the installed base of people who are using our products. What you hope to do over time is convert them to licensing the software."

This is not to say that Microsoft supports piracy, or that it encourages users to pirate their software products. However, for the Redmond Company, a user that chooses to use Microsoft pirated software over anything else is a case of the lesser evil. Raikes' statement is not an endorsement of the usage of Microsoft counterfeit software, but instead it represents an insight into the Redmond Company's strategy with pirated products.

All users of pirated Microsoft software are potential customers for the Redmond Company. Once you are hooked, even if the first "dose" is pirated, then the company can simply reel you in, and turn your Microsoft addiction into profit.

"You want to push towards getting legal licensing, but you don't want to push so hard that you lose the asset that's most fundamental in the business," Raikes added.