Security software and service company Symantec has added a controversial type of antipiracy technology to the new version of its main virus-zapping program.
Norton Antivirus 2004, which Symantec announced Monday for release next month, will use product activation, an increasingly common technique to tie a copy of an application to a particular PC. Symantec plans to add activation to the rest of its consumer software line over the next year.
Del Smith, senior product manger for Symantec, said activation is intended to protect consumers from widespread counterfeit copies of Symantec programs. The company estimates at least 3.6 million bogus copies of its programs are sold annually, causing headaches both for Symantec and unsuspecting buyers, who find out too late that the software isn't doing the job.
"What consumers don't understand is that while those units may appear to be legitimate, there are a number of risks associated with pirated software...including the likelihood that it really isn't protecting their PC," Smith said.
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