The project has started a new campaign called Get Legal – Get OpenOffice.org, promoting its legal and free alternative to Microsoft Office. According to figures published by Microsoft, 35% of the software in the world is thought to be counterfeit or otherwise illegal, it notes. If you have a copy of MS-Office at work, at school, at home – are you sure where it came from?
The campaign, at why.openoffice.org, follows a more aggressive approach from Microsoft towards clamping down on unlicensed use of its software. In April the company launched its new anti-piracy initiative while also buying asset and license management software specialist AssetMetrix Corp.
The Office Genuine Advantage pilot program identifies whether users have a genuine or counterfeit version of Microsoft Office installed. Only users with a legitimate copy of Office will be able to receive software updates and enhancements, while users with a counterfeit copy who can provide proof of purchase, can swap it for a legitimate copy of Office 2003 Standard Edition.
