China hacked off at Microsoft anti-piracy drive

The Chinese are taking on mighty Microsoft. Just days after announcing a self-styled 'Global Anti-Piracy Day', Microsoft has been forced onto the defensive by computer users in the world's most populous nation, furious at the company's latest clampdown on unlicensed copies of Windows.

Microsoft rolled out the disingenuously named Windows Genuine Advantage 'feature' in the West first. Downloaded during a Windows update and designed to check the user has paid for and licensed the operating system, it has always been controversial, criticised on privacy grounds and prone to system failures. Some genuine licensees have reported receiving annoying onscreen 'nag' notices.

In China, ­ where pirated copies of Windows sell for less than 50p and an estimated 80-90 per cent of software used is unlicensed, ­ a newer, more aggressive version of Windows Genuine Advantage, designed to black out the entire screen every hour, has created newspaper headlines, a tide of hostility on Chinese web fora, and is likely to

end in the courts.

Beijing lawyer Dong Zhengwei claims that remotely attacking the functionality of an individual's computer is illegal under Chinese law, and has branded Microsoft "the biggest hacker in China".

Even the Chinese Software Industry Association, an organisation charged with working in the best interests of software developers and their intellectual property rights, is said to be planning legal action.

Should Microsoft, ­ who have already slashed the cost of some of their products to a tiny fraction of Western price points, ­ be concerned?

In a statement released today, Microsoft defended Windows Genuine Advantage, denying accusations that the program harvested any personal information and reiterating the importance of intellectual property protection.

But the early signs are that the Chinese will want to turn a matter of licensing into a larger debate about nationalism and technological self-sufficiency. A Chinese technology researcher, quoted by the state press agency, asks: "Aren't worse things likely to happen in the future? Now people understand why China needs its own software."