China Software Piracy (Photo : Reuters)
Microsoft is giving away its new Windows 10 operating system for previous version users, both genuine and non-genuine.
Terry Myerson, Vice President of Operating Systems at Microsoft, told Reuters that they are aiming to upgrade all "qualified PCs" to the new Windows 10 OS.
Microsoft's move is targeting the piracy problem in China, where 75 percent of PC software are not really licensed properly.
Windows 10 is expected to be launched sometime in summer, which is the first time Microsoft declared a time frame for a product release. Also, previous operating system releases were during the autumn season.
The Redmond-based company said in January that it would be offering the free Windows 10 upgrade for Windows 7 and later users, whether legitimately licensed or not, to curb their revenue loss.
"Anyone with a qualified device can upgrade to Windows 10, including those with pirated copies of Windows," a spokesperson for Microsoft told The Verge.
After the free Windows 10 upgrade, Microsoft is planning to sell online services such as its Office suite of apps to their customers.
Myerson said that it is currently collaborating with Lenovo, who recently went under fire for the Superfish fiasco, to aid in the distribution of Windows 10 in China.
Microsoft will also be making the free OS upgrade available through Tencent Holdings and Qihoo 360 Technology.
Tencent, the largest social networking firm in China, is also planning to develop a Windows 10 app for smartphones.
Microsoft has been trying to combat software piracy for years now. The tech giant's Windows XP was the first to implement a software license verification scheme, but it was defeated by software pirates who shared a corporate licensed key.
In 2011, Steve Ballmer, former Microsoft CEO, showed that only one in 10 PC users properly pay for a licensed software from the company in China.
