[This is a post originally penned by Alex Kochis over on the WGA blog.]
Earlier today the Chinese Public Security Bureau and the FBI announced the largest bust of counterfeit software manufacturing or distribution ever. The bust took place in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong and includes arrests that took place over the last couple of weeks. While the value of the software actually seized is estimated at about five hundred million dollars, we're estimating that the value of software produced and distributed over the last few years by this particular group is closer to two billion dollars.
Beyond the sheer size of the bust, the most exciting aspect for MS' WGA (Windows Genuine Advantage) team is knowing that WGA played a role in it. More than 1,000 customers in 12 different countries who had purchased counterfeits from this particular source used WGA to learn their software was counterfeit, submitted the counterfeits to Microsoft, and forensic and intelligence specialists then traced the counterfeits back to the criminal syndicate in China. Windows customers using WGA actually helped bring down the biggest software counterfeiting operation in history, as without their help, it's possible that this piracy operation would never have been apprehended.
The goal of WGA goal is not to punish the people who purchased these programs -- they are in fact victims -- but rather to give them a tool that both lets them know they have been victimized and a way to do something about it.
A little cloak-and-dagger for your afternoon :). The one on the left is the genuine article.
