Microsoft Corp. today announced the transition of the Windows� Genuine Advantage (WGA) pilot to a version 1.0 launch with worldwide availability. WGA is part of Microsoft�s ongoing commitment to protecting its customers from software counterfeiting and to helping support partners through education, engineering, and enforcement of policies and laws. WGA, designed to differentiate the value of genuine Windows-based software from counterfeit software, enables customers to enjoy the capabilities they expect, provides them with confidence that their software is authentic, and delivers ongoing system improvements, including approximately $450 in software offerings available only to genuine users.

According to the Business Software Alliance, unlicensed and pirated software costs software vendors and national economies billions of dollars every year. Customers, businesses and resellers continually ask Microsoft for help in mitigating the threat posed by pirates.

One way to fight counterfeit software is to ensure that users recognize and receive all the benefits of genuine software. Customers who participate in WGA will have easy access to updates, added-value software offerings and other benefits of genuine Microsoft� Windows.

�During the 10-month pilot of WGA, we have been very encouraged by the large number of customers � more than 40 million in all � who chose to participate in WGA because they were concerned about piracy and wanted a way to determine whether their Windows software was genuine,� said Will Poole, senior vice president of the Windows Client Business at Microsoft. �It also became clear that customers want to take advantage of special offers reserved for genuine users, with the peace of mind that their software will deliver the features, options and performance they need.�