Piracy is as popular as it is despised by software businesses, and both are as harmful. Microsoft is one of these companies, and it has undertaken a number of initiatives over the years to encourage customers not to use pirated software. The most recent is a 50 per cent discount on legitimate Office products that Microsoft will provide to customers of Microsoft 365’s pirated copies of the operating system. This special deal is valid for both Microsoft 365 Personal and Microsoft 365 Family subscriptions, and it cannot be combined with any other offer.
According to a promotional offer discovered by Ghacks (via Bleeping Computer), customers of non-genuine software are now seeing a banner at the top of their screen instead. “GET UP TO 50% OFF.” says the banner. Obtain up to 50% off a genuine Microsoft 365 membership during a limited offer period.” The user will be sent to the Microsoft 365 home page, where they will not only be warned about the usage of pirated software but will also be given the opportunity to purchase legitimate editions at a 50 per cent discount.
If pirated users elect to purchase Microsoft 365, the cost of the service will be reduced to around $35 per year for ‘Personal’ users and approximately $50 per year for ‘Family’ customers. In the United States, the standard costs are $69.99 per year and $99.99 per year, respectively, for the services. We are unable to confirm whether or not Indian customers of non-genuine Microsoft 365 applications, such as Microsoft Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint, are eligible for the offer because we were unable to independently check it. In India, the Microsoft 365 Personal membership costs Rs 4,899 per year, while the Microsoft 365 Family subscription costs Rs 6,199 per year.
Pirated software, despite the fact that it is almost completely free, can be hazardous to your computer because it originates from unknown sources. In fact, if attackers chose to take advantage of the software’s malicious aspects, they may be able to steal your personal information as well as your financial information. There is a possibility of file corruption and data loss, as well as other problems. To preserve the security of their computers and data, Microsoft is advising users of pirated software to purchase authentic versions of the applications they use.
The 50 per cent discount, on the other hand, may still not be as lucrative as receiving pirated software for free, but because the hazards associated with using non-genuine Microsoft 365 software outweigh the advantages, some customers may decide to make the move to genuine Microsoft 365 software. And, regardless of how many new users Microsoft may get as a result of this discount, the company’s goal is to expand the number of paying customers for its Office product as well as the number of active Cloud users.