Today, the software industry's largest threat comes from counterfeiters closely followed by sellers of branded software. With the ever growing increase in technology, counterfeiters continue or should I say attempt to replicate an exact copy of all Microsoft's software. The majority of this counterfeit software is manufactured in Asia where they have very weak anti-piracy laws. This software is then channeled to the United States where it can be sold to unsuspected buyers though questionable web sites, auctions, and local swap meets.

The majority of legitimate online resellers do not become victim to counterfeit software because they as we, do not purchase outside the Microsoft channel. During the first quarter of 2011, I had a conversation with a Microsoft anti-piracy team leader and she explained to me that 90% of the Microsoft software being offered on popular auction web sites were counterfeit. This only goes to show you how prevalent this problem has become in our market today.

With each passing year, counterfeiters fine tune their methods with advances in technology and simple trial and error. Today, the average consumer is easily fooled and hence they become one of millions of unsuspecting victims.

When today's consumer purchases Microsoft software, most are not aware of the ever growing problem of software counterfeiting. They simply receive their software which to them looks like any other software they purchased in the past and install it. Sure at first the buyer is not confronted with anything suspicious. However, 3 to 6 months later the buyer is looking at their desktop and is shocked to see a box stating that their Windows is not genuine and they are a victim of counterfeiting!

Figures 1 through 3 represent examples of Microsoft Counterfeit Desktop Notices.

Fig. 1	Fig. 2	Fig. 3

At this point Microsoft is fully aware that you are running a counterfeit version of Windows and shuts down important operating instructions. There is some good news, Microsoft kindly gives you a link to purchase the real version of Windows directly from Microsoft at a high market price.

Personally I have heard the above story so many times I cannot come close to counting them. A common question I get from these victims is, why did my system work for so long without any problems and then all of a sudden I get this notice? Is it a mistake on Microsoft's end? The answer to this is no. It takes a considerable amount of time for Microsoft to determine what product registration key codes are being used with the newest release of counterfeit software. Its not a simple task I would care to be involved in. However, I give kudos to all the Microsoft anti-piracy team members who put all those hours into their work!

Now that I have reviewed the horror story of thousands of counterfeit victims, lets move on and cover the telltale signs of how to spot Microsoft counterfeit software.

How to spot counterfeit Microsoft software
Let me first start off by saying that counterfeiters are always updating their techniques. What's easy to spot one year may be very difficult the next. However, if you follow the guidelines below, I am 100% confident you will never experience the horror story I presented above. Lets get started!

The following guidelines hold true for all Microsoft software. Whether it be Windows, Office, Server, or any other Microsoft software, the same counterfeit techniques are used.

CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY
Lets begin with the packaging and how we can determine if the software is counterfeit prior to opening it. Microsoft has done a fantastic job manufacturing their COA (certificate of authenticity) and making it very difficult to replicate. For obvious reasons I do not know the technology used to manufacture their COAs and am easily convinced that counterfeiters do not have this knowledge either :)

All Microsoft COAs contain a security thread which is interwoven through the COA. This thread appears as if it is part of the paper itself and can be seen rising from the paper and then back into the paper. Its a difficult process to explain but one way to understand its properties is to imagine a piece of paper with a metal thread embedded into it. As you observe the paper, it appears that the metal thread is actually part of the paper itself. However, as you follow the thread you will also notice that the metal thread appears to come out of the paper and position itself over it. That is the best way I can put this process into words. Its a very complicated process which counterfeiters have yet to successfully replicate. Of all the counterfeit versions I have personally viewed, the best the counterfeiters can do is cut small holes into the paper and run a foil through them to appear as if its threaded into the actual paper.

Figures 4 and 5 represent authentic Microsoft COAs.

Fig. 4	Fig. 5

The above figures demonstrate how the thread is interwoven into the paper. As you can see, the thread begins its travel inside the paper. When I state inside the paper, the actual thread is part of the paper. Its not positioned behind it but actually inside it. Farther down its travel it then comes out of the paper and then back in. Microsoft refers to this technique as foil interwoven.

Figure 6 below represent a counterfeit Microsoft COA.

Fig. 6

Notice in figure 6 the foil strip does not appear to be part of the actual paper but simply positioned behind it. This is also demonstrated by the clear transition between the paper and the foil within the cut holes. So how do they attempt to replicate the interwoven thread? You will be somewhat surprised at the simple technique they use as shown below in figure 7.

To the left, figure 7 clearly demonstrates how counterfeiters attempt to integrate the foil strip into the COA. They simply take a foil strip and apply it to the back of the fake COA using of all things... scotch tape! An individual could simply remove the foil strip from the COA! If you were to look at the back of a genuine Microsoft COA, that foil would be woven into the paper itself and impossible to remove because its actually part of the COA, not a separate individual piece.

Fig. 7

Now that we have covered counterfeit COAs, lets move onto my favorite technique of detecting counterfeit Microsoft software. This one you are going to love!

MEDIA (CD/DVD DISKS)
Microsoft has taken extraordinary steps in manufacturing their media resulting in a disc that is impossible to replicate. I personally believe Microsoft's anti-piracy methods of making discs are as effective as the steps taken by our government in relation to paper currency.

Sure I could go into all the minor details of how to determine if Microsoft media is counterfeit. But I am not going to do that. If you care to review the minor ways of detecting, I will leave links in the Additional Resources section at the end of this article. For now, lets concentrate on the one simple test that can be performed on any Microsoft media.

Microsoft embeds their labels directly into the media. Meaning, they do not burn the media and then place a sticky label on top of it. The actual label and all other printed material is actually part of the media itself and is impossible to remove.

Counterfeiters have not come close to matching this technology that Microsoft incorporates into their media products. Rather, what counterfeiters do is spray paint a bronze metallic spray onto a label and then cover the sprayed label with a clear plastic label. This clear plastic label prevents the paint from being scratched by the unsuspected buyer.

With that said, lets now learn the fool proof test of detecting if Microsoft software is genuine or counterfeit. This test holds true for all Microsoft software and should always be done no mater where you purchased your software. Its a very simple test that only takes a few seconds. On the outside edge of the disc, use your fingernail and move it across the media toward the center of the disc while attempting to pull up a label. If the media is genuine, you will not catch any label edges and no label will rise. If you do come across an edge and a label begins to rise up, you are a victim! With my personal experiences with counterfeit software, I can now detect it quickly by just running my fingernail across the media to detect an edge where a label would start. In some cases I have seen some really poor counterfeits where you can visually see air bubbles under the label! Last year I was shown a counterfeit Windows 7 disc which had a hair underneath the actual label!

Figure 8 below demonstrates a counterfeit media with the label being removed.

Fig. 8

By following the two simple steps I have provided above, there is absolutely no reason you should become a victim of installing counterfeit software. Now having the tools to detect counterfeit software on your own, lets move on to the steps you can take if you have become a victim.

Steps to take when you are a victim of counterfeit software
I cannot express enough how critical it is to report your purchase of counterfeit software to Microsoft. By doing this, you not only help keep software prices down but more importantly aid Microsoft in tracking down and prosecuting these sellers!

To file a counterfeit software claim with Microsoft's Anti-Piracy Team, simply click on the link below and complete the required steps.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/howtotell/cfr/report.aspx