WinInfo Daily UPDATE, May 5, 2005

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In the News

- Starting Up: Microsoft to License R&D
- Pirates, Get Yer Legit Copy of Windows XP Pro Here

==== In the News ====

by Paul Thurrott, [email protected]

Starting Up: Microsoft to License R&D

Buddy, can you spare some technology? Microsoft announced yesterday that it will begin licensing some of its R&D technology bonanza to startup companies. The idea is to ensure that the huge number of software and hardware inventions that come from Microsoft's 700 researchers make it to market. According to the company, Microsoft simply isn't big enough to do it all.
"If we pull this off, if we're able to collaborate effectively \[with start-ups\], then we can create new companies and new jobs," says the project's senior director David Harnett. To jumpstart the initiative, dubbed Microsoft Intellectual Property Ventures, Microsoft will begin licensing 20 technologies. Microsoft will negotiate the agreements on a case-by-case basis and will retain part ownership in any companies that want to use its technology.
Microsoft's move to license its R&D work is interesting. The company says it wants to increase the revenue flow from its patents, and one way to do that is to license them to other companies. Microsoft representatives noted that computer giant IBM has successfully licensed its own patents, generating billions of dollars in revenue as a result.
Some technologies that Microsoft will license include:
- Face detection and tracking and natural-language processing for educational courseware
- LaunchTile--a PDA navigation scheme
- BioCert--enables the creation of digitally signed, tamper-proof ID cards that incorporate biometric information
- Xnav--a gesture-based text-input and device-navigation system for games

A full list of licensed technologies is available from the Microsoft Web site.
http://www.microsoftipventures.com

Pirates, Get Yer Legit Copy of Windows XP Pro Here

Microsoft alerted me last night that it will modify its Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) program, which seeks to prevent software piracy by requiring that users validate their Windows copies online when seeking nonsecurity updates from the Microsoft.com Web site. According to a company representative, Microsoft will now offer legitimate versions of Windows XP Professional Edition to US customers who unwittingly purchased illegitimate copies of the OS.
As with any deal with the devil, the WGA XP offer comes with some strings attached. For starters, users who want to obtain a legitimate copy of XP Pro are asked to first seek a remedy from the company that sold them the bogus version.
If that approach fails, Microsoft requires a proof of purchase, the counterfeit XP CD-ROM, and a detailed accounting of the purchase, including information about the parties who sold the software. Customers can also opt to obtain an electronic key for $150 that transforms their bogus XP copies into legitimate copies. The qualifications for obtaining the key are less strict: Users only need to provide a detailed report and pass an electronic scan that ensures that their Windows versions haven't been tampered with. I was unable to discern whether a user's first-born son would be required as well.
The XP replacement program will run through June 30, 2005, according to the company. For those of us stuck with unwittingly pirated versions of XP, it's a deal we simply can't refuse.

==== Events and Resources ====

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