Microsoft wants to make illegal Windows 10 ‘attractive offer’ to users

Microsoft has indicated that it wants to make an attractive offer to users of an illegal Windows 10 installation to ensure that they start using a legal version. Microsoft wants to work with OEMs for this.

In a blog post, Microsoft talks about its plans for legal and illegal versions of Windows 10. As previously announced, users with a legal Windows 7 or Windows 8 installation will receive a free upgrade to the new operating system, while illegal users will not. Microsoft does state that illegally running Windows 10 is not made impossible: even if Microsoft detects that a non-legal version is running on a system, no immediate action is taken.

Microsoft states that a watermark will be built in that shows that a pirated version of Windows 10 is running. To meet the needs of the user, there is a ‘very attractive offer’ to upgrade to a legal version of the operating system. What that offer will look like is not known, but it is possible that Microsoft will offer a Windows 10 license at discounted prices. Work will be done with OEMs to persuade users to adopt a legal version.

Earlier, the company hinted that users with an illegal installation of Windows 7 or Windows 8 could also get an upgrade to Windows 10. In its blog post, however, Microsoft contradicts that. The new operating system will probably be available sometime in the summer.