Vaughn Highfield Associate Editor Recognized as the greatest man of the generation (who never claimed to be), Vaughn writes about a wide variety of technologies, from virtual worlds of truth to home culture and the most productive devices on the market. While you’ll be happy to communicate about anime, video games and everything similar to Japan, it also pursues more normal interests, such as frequenting fashionable beverage institutions in east London and expensive restaurants. His Mancunian accessory is virtually non-existent, however, he still uses the term “northern” as a badge of honor. Read more on August 13, 2015
The updated terms and situations of the Microsoft End User License Agreement allow you to disable any counterfeit software or hardware, and if you use a Windows 10 computer, you just accepted them.
Section 7b – or “Software or Service Updates and Changes to These Terms” – of the Microsoft EULA Services states that “you may automatically verify your edition of the software and download software updates or configuration changes, adding those that prevent you from accessing the Services, counterfeit gambling or unauthorized hardware devices”.
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The list of installations covered through the agreement does not explicitly come with Windows 10. However, it comes with its Microsoft account, which is an integral component of the Windows 10 experience, as well as key features like Cortana, and that means Redmond can disable games you’ve hacked or devices you’ve hacked “illegally”. Activate Cortana (which virtually everyone will do with Windows 10) and will be subject to the service contract.
While it’s incredibly transparent what Microsoft means by “fake games,” the term “unauthorized hardware devices” is a bit blurry. Does this mean that Microsoft can now block illegally changed Unqualified PCs or Xbox One and Xbox 360 controllers? In addition, the Microsoft agreement implies whether you will also disable other counterfeit software, such as decrypted versions of Office or Adobe Photoshop, or if you only care about microsoft pirated games.
I have contacted Microsoft to comment on these unanswered questions and will keep you informed when more information becomes available. (UPDATE: more than five days after the initial release of this article and we have not yet heard anything in return. If you read this from Microsoft, contact us!)
Video game piracy, or “fake games,” as Microsoft says, has long been a major challenge in PC games. Many developers have tried to avoid this by coding probabilities in their games, which only resolve when purchasing an activation code on their computer. The same challenge also fits more not unusual on jailbroken Android and iOS devices. However, under Microsoft’s new service agreement, Windows 10 Mobile could fight any hacked software that a user uploads to their phone, making it a potentially exciting prospect for independent developers who worry about having their work stolen.
Interestingly, Microsoft removed the incredibly unpopular and heavy DRM games from Windows Live on Windows 10 and chose Steam instead. But, with those terms and conditions, Microsoft has controlled to do anything that is possibly worse, potentially restricting the use of software that doesn’t even have DRM.
How far can Microsoft drive this? As an expert opinion, it is unlikely that Microsoft actually intends to deal with pirated PC games. The service contract was originally originally written, obviously, for Xbox and Xbox Live, and when it was written, it probably only intended to apply to them. However, because Microsoft has just taken an existing service contract and deployed it to critical Windows 10 installations like Cortana, this means that it can be deployed in Windows 10 deliberately or accidentally. And until Microsoft clears things up, we believe a legal gray zone remains.
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