Called the Get Genuine Windows Agreement, it is Microsoft’s latest effort in its 18-month-old Genuine Software Initiative to crack down on fake copies and unlicensed use of Windows.

Get Genuine Windows is geared toward businesses that unwittingly bought illegal Windows software and licenses and want to set their situation straight. Microsoft and its resellers will replace the dodgy software and licenses with the genuine article, under the condition that companies will ensure they only use legitimate products in the future.

The need for businesses to license legitimate copies of Windows XP was the most common scenario so that is where we are starting, said the director of Microsoft’s anti-piracy initiative Cori Hartje, in a company-conducted interview posted on its web site.

She noted Office and Microsoft’s server products could already be fully licensed through any of its current volume licensing programs.

The new program is for businesses with five or more fake or mislicensed PCs to switch to licensed installations in one effort, Hartje said. There are two versions of the license: one for small and mid-sized businesses and another for large enterprises.

The move to add XP to its anti-piracy programs comes on the heels of Microsoft last week pushing back the end of sales for the operating system. It extended XP’s end-of-life for OEMs and retailers by five months to July 2008. However, enterprises that have volume licenses or are part of Microsoft’s Software Assurance program may downgrade to XP at any time. Essentially, their Vista license is transferred to Vista; they can replace Vista with XP without having to pay for an additional license.

Also, last month Microsoft reportedly released a set of updates for XP, which inadvertently interfered with the program’s repair function.

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Of course, it is in Microsoft’s best interests to add as much of its software as possible to its anti-piracy program. However, the company does seem to have a focus of sorts on XP at the moment.

And this may lead to questions about the adoption of Vista by businesses. But bear in mind that when Vista was released, in November 2006, it was forecast that large enterprises would spend at least 18 months testing the OS before widespread deployment. That’s because Vista is such a major overhaul from XP.

Indeed, Computer Business Review recently reported that fewer than 2% of UK-based companies had upgraded all their desktops to Vista.