Microsoft states: Pirate users upgrading to Win10 will watermark the desktop

Microsoft China issued an official blog statement to the media yesterday, explaining the upgrade of Windows pirate users who are most concerned about Windows piracy users at home and abroad. According to the content of the statement, we can see that first of all, Microsoft's position on piracy remains unchanged. However, after pirated users upgrade to Win10 through informal channels, Microsoft will appear a watermark prompt on the desktop but not a black screen, and once the user purchases a genuine license and activates it, the prompt can be eliminated. Moreover, for cooperation channels such as online stores and 360, Microsoft will not provide Win10 upgrade services for pirated Windows users.

Here's a statement from Microsoft's head of Windows, Terry Myerson:

This week we shared more details about the Windows 10 version. Today, I would like to answer some of the questions we have received about genuine and non-genuine Windows.

With the arrival of Windows 10, customers of genuine Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 will be able to upgrade to Windows 10 for free. Once customers complete the upgrade, they will continue to receive Windows innovative features and security updates throughout the product support lifecycle of their devices.

These customers purchase genuine Windows licenses from our esteemed OEM partner channels, and the OEM partner ensures that Windows is properly installed and licensed accordingly, and has not been tampered with. Windows 10 provides a more secure and modern experience for our customers. Bringing all of our customers to the Windows 10 platform helps developers facilitate this ecosystem to thrive and make the Windows customer experience even better. We are doing everything we can to help our customers seamlessly upgrade from Windows 7 or Windows 8 to Windows 10. I couldn't be more excited about the opportunities that Windows 10 upgrades bring.

When we cannot verify that Windows is installed and has the corresponding genuine license, and has not been tampered with, the system will create a watermark on the computer desktop to inform the user. If you see this watermark on a new device, I encourage you to contact the retailer immediately and return the device while requesting a genuine Windows device. Non-genuine Windows poses higher risks, including malware, fraud, and exposure of personal information, as well as higher risks of poor user experience and lack of functionality. Non-genuine Windows is not supported by Microsoft or trusted partners.

Microsoft and our OEM partners understand that many consumers are unknowingly victims of piracy, and with the arrival of Windows 10, we want all of our customers to move forward with us. While we offer a free Windows 10 upgrade that won't be available for non-genuine Windows devices, we'll be offering Windows 10 to customers running devices in a non-genuine state. In addition, through our partnership with some OEM partners, we plan to offer a very attractive Windows 10 upgrade program for customers running non-genuine and older devices. Stay tuned to our partners for more details on the upgrades they offer.

Windows 10 is still in development, and we can't answer all the questions yet, but I hope this blog post clarifies some important topics. If you want to help shape the future of Windows and contribute to Windows 10, join the Windows Insider Program, where you can download Windows 10 technical previews and give us valuable feedback

Thank you for choosing genuine Windows 10 to support Windows and our partners.

Terry