Back in 2001 Windows XP was the first system which had introduced the software activation key and the need for a proper license to activate the Operating system on any device. However, pirates started sharing some corporate license keys and since then the pirates have somehow been causing trouble to Microsoft throughout its various versions though Microsoft has been continuously trying to curb the software pirates. With this announcement of free upgrade, Windows seems to have finally decided to ignore the pirates because it has been seen that some new machines also have the pirated version of Windows and the users are not ever aware that they are using an illegal copy of the Operating System. With free upgrades of Windows 10 Microsoft seems to be updating a licensed version of Windows in the devices and in a way making its users realize the value of proper license. As per a survey carried out in China in the year 2011, it was seen that only 1 out of 10 customers are actually using a genuine licensed Windows OS in their systems and rest of all are using pirated versions hence the then CEO of Microsoft, Steve Ballmer joined President Obama and other leaders to address this issue. Software piracy has a direct impact on Microsoft’s finances and though it has been taking steps to curb the piracy Microsoft has not yet been fully successful to stop software pirates in Brazil, China, India and Russia. By giving a free upgrade of Windows 10 to all users Microsoft has plans to recover its lost revenue through “Office” app. In China, Windows 10 would be rolled out to all the Windows users by Lenovo Group Ltd.; Lenovo is also planning to make phones which will run on Windows software through China mobile sometime later this year. Windows is also working with Xiaomi Technology Co Ltd which is manufacturer of Android based device to offer some customers a test version of Windows 10 on their smartphones. Tencent Holdings Ltd, which is a network company ensured that it will add its famous League of Legends game to the Windows app store which will help Microsoft Windows to gain an upper hand in the market. With the launch of Windows 10 and its free up-gradation hopefully users will now use a licensed version of Windows in their PCs, Laptops, Tablets and smartphones.
