This article was written on December 04, 2007 by CyberNet.
When it comes to Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) Microsoft is doing two things that almost counteract each other. First off Microsoft is easing up on the “Reduced Functionality Mode” for those users who don’t pass the Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) test. As of right now if you don’t pass WGA Vista will disable premium features such as Aero Glass, ReadyBoost, games, and BitLocker. More annoyingly, however, is that it will log you out of Windows after just one hour of use.
From the standpoint of cracking down on piracy this might have been a good thing, especially since Microsoft is reporting the the Vista piracy rate is half of what it was with XP. The Reduced Functionality Mode, however, came at a cost for Microsoft. Some genuine Windows users have found themselves sitting at a computer that suddenly becomes pirated in Microsoft’s eyes, and when that happens they only have an hour at a time to work before they get logged out. In Vista SP1 when users are classified as non-genuine they will just see a notification in the System Tray as well as an image on the desktop background. It’s obviously still annoying, but at least if you’re on your way to give a presentation you don’t have to worry about your computer logging off every hour!
On the other hand Microsoft is cracking down on the Vista hacks available around the Internet. One method in particular, using purely software, is able to emulate an OEM BIOS. That is significant because users hacking Vista in this way will appear to be genuine to Microsoft. When emulating an OEM BIOS Microsoft can’t simply blacklist a serial number, and trying to flag non-genuine users would probably result in many genuine users falsely getting flagged as well.
Microsoft said that cracks like these will no longer work in Vista SP1, but that should be clarified a bit. In their current state Vista OEM BIOS cracks won’t work in SP1, but hackers will have developed a new method probably by the time SP1 is even released. You can’t blame Microsoft for trying though.
[via Ed Bott]
Copyright © 2014 CyberNetNews.com
When it comes to piracy, there are those who believe that downloading songs is alright, and then you have those who think that it is wrong. There are many reasons why people download, because it is free, or because they want to see if they like it, but in the eyes of the law, it is illegal and that is something an anti-piracy app has recently been launched in the UK where it hopes to teach the younger generation the effect of piracy on recording artists. The app, dubbed Music Inc, is a collaboration between UK Music, the Intellectual Property Office, and Aardman Animations. 
When it comes to seeking fines and damages, usually anti-piracy groups and the industries they represent, whether it be music, TV, movies, and etc., are usually the ones asking for it. In fact rarely do we come across an instance in which these groups are fined themselves, but that’s what happened over in the Netherlands when the Court of the Hague basically fined anti-piracy group, BREIN, to fork out €326,000 (which is roughly $445,600 after conversion) in damages to broadband providers. 
Despite the best efforts of music labels and movie studios, fighting piracy online has proven to be an uphill battle. As soon as one site is taken down, another few more spring up in its place, almost as if the masses are eager to fill in the empty spot. Well it looks like Warner Bros. are looking to help beef up their anti-piracy team by looking for an IT expert to help them combat online piracy. According to the job listing posted by the company, they are seeking an individual to join their Content Protection and Analytics department, whose objective is to protect Warner Bros. intellectual property in film, TV, and games, and with a “primary focus on internet piracy in all of its forms”.
Okay, so maybe Google isn’t exactly an advocate for video piracy, but they don’t seem to be taking the drastic measures needed to keep copyrighted videos off of their service. The National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC) 
