Microsoft Ends Its Piracy Snitch Program

Well, it seems that computer dealers can forget about getting free watches or grills for snitching on their customers to Microsoft.

The company was offering prizes to systems-builders and resellers if they reported customers who bought PCs without an operating system. Microsoft was reportedly concerned that the so-called naked PCs might be loaded with illegal copies of its operating systems.

However, that program has been scrapped, according to a report in Thursday's Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

The report quotes Microsoft spokesperson Matt Pilla as saying the program was "stupid" and that it ended weeks ago. Pilla did not return repeated requests for comment and Microsoft declines to make anyone else available.

No More Prizes for Finks

Naming names on 250 such naked PCs netted dealers a pack of five Microsoft games, 500 computers led to a watch, and more than 1000 reported naked PCs would win a dealer the weekend pleasure pack of a grill and lawn chair.

At the time the program came to light, Microsoft said it instituted the plan to battle piracy. Spokespeople said the company sought to clear up confusion with customers who believed they had site licenses to Microsoft operating systems. No such licenses exist, according to the company.

However, the plan was also widely seen as an attempt to single out customers who wanted to install Linux on their PCs and not pay for a Microsoft operating system they would not use.

Despite early indications that the information collected would be shared with law enforcement agencies, no such sharing ever took place, the Post-Intelligencer story quotes Pilla as saying.