As part of the efforts designed to shield customers from the risks associated with pirated copies of its software, Microsoft has redesigned the Counterfeit Software Gallery. The gallery is set up to permit customers to familiarize themselves with examples of pirated software replicas of the genuine products from the Redmond company, in order to avoid purchasing bootlegged copies. The website delivers a complex collection of counterfeit software in accordance with the quality of the production process. In this regard, Microsoft offers examples of high-grade, mid-grade, and low-grade counterfeit samples.

“High-grade counterfeit samples - this is software that appears professionally produced and attempts to include the piracy prevention features of genuine Microsoft software. One example is a counterfeit copy of Microsoft Office that has a sticker adhered to the face of the disc in place of the embedded image of the copper edge-to-edge hologram. You can see close up images of this type of counterfeit in the gallery,” explained Alex Kochis, senior product manager for Windows Genuine Advantage.

As far as Mid-grade counterfeit samples are concerned, the bootlegged products do appear to be professionally produced, but the actual piracy prevention features associated with genuine Microsoft software are missing completely. When it comes down to low-grade samples, the counterfeit products do not resemble even remotely genuine solutions, and no effort is made to trick the consumer that the item is not pirated.

In addition to the gallery displaying a rich collection of counterfeit Microsoft software, the Redmond company also allows end-users to submit their own samples of potentially pirated products. Customers can deliver Microsoft with examples of pirated Windows operating systems, but also of Office, Windows Server, Xbox, or any other product.

“The design includes new navigation, is based on Microsoft Silverlight, and makes it easier to view the different categories of available counterfeit samples. The more that people can learn about the different types of counterfeit software that are out there, the easier it is for them to identify the piracy prevention features of genuine Microsoft software - that way, they know what to look for when purchasing a new copy of Windows or Office,” Kochis added.