AUCKLAND, New Zealand — Jan. 27, 2009 —

Starting today, Microsoft Office customers have a new tool to help ensure the safety of their computers and protect themselves from counterfeit software through Office Genuine Advantage (OGA) notifications. The voluntary update helps ensure that customers have genuine Office and are better able to avoid the pitfalls of non-genuine software.

“People who use non-genuine Microsoft Office are putting themselves at risk,” said Kevin Ackhurst, general manager, Microsoft New Zealand. “Non-genuine software has been shown to be more vulnerable to viruses and spyware, which can be used to damage a user’s PC or steal personal information.”

Genuine Office Helps Protect Customers
Microsoft is committed to protecting its customers and partners from counterfeit and pirated software. Counterfeit software has emerged as big business and is becoming an increasingly common way for criminals to victimise the public and steal personal information. By using genuine Microsoft Office, customers can avoid the risks and viruses associated with non-genuine software. Genuine Microsoft Office is supported by Microsoft Corp. and its partners, and is eligible for security updates and other important upgrades.

In testing on pirated software, International Data Corporation (IDC) found that 43 percent of tested software had some spyware, malware or other added binaries. The cost to recover from a single incident of malicious software on a single workstation can be more than USD$1,000.¹

“I was shocked to find I had loaded non-genuine Office onto the computers at my office after I tried to validate it online,” said David Blair, a local victim of a software vendor selling non-genuine software. “I thought I had purchased a genuine product, but instead could have been exposed to viruses, trojans or worse. Since then I’ve received genuine Office, and now know I’ll be protected and supported by Microsoft, and can get on with the job.”

OGA notifications are delivered as an update that the user can voluntarily install. If the update finds that the user has non-genuine Microsoft Office, OGA notifications presents a dialog box alert and provides the user with options to get genuine software and secure the PC. OGA notifications will have no impact on customers using genuine Microsoft Office and does not affect the way Microsoft Office works on individual computers.

People who find they are the victim of counterfeit software can submit a report to Microsoft and may be eligible to receive a complimentary copy of Microsoft Office. Other users will choose to take advantage of current price promotions including Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 for $149 RRP and Microsoft Office Small Business 2007 for $679 RRP.

Genuine Office Helps Local Economies
Software piracy can hurt local economies by taking business away from legitimate vendors. According to a recent study, for every dollar that Microsoft generates in New Zealand, partner companies working with Microsoft will generate NZD$13.² By promoting the use of genuine Office, Microsoft is helping to create opportunities and level the playing field for partners that distribute genuine Office.

“My business depends on providing customers with the secure and reliable software they expect — that’s why we only sell genuine Office. OGA notifications helps customers understand the difference between genuine and non-genuine software, and that helps me compete and grow my local business,” said Darren Smith, general manager of PB Technologies, an Auckland-based reseller with several branches throughout New Zealand.

About OGA notifications
The OGA notifications program is part of Microsoft’s larger Genuine Software Initiative aimed at helping protect Microsoft’s customers and partners from counterfeiters through education, engineering and enforcement of policies and laws. In May 2008, the OGA notifications program was released in Italy, Spain, Turkey and Chile

¹_{Source: IDC white paper, “The Risks of Obtaining and Using Pirated Software,” October 2006, sponsored by Microsoft}

²_{Source: IDC white paper, “The Economic Impact of IT, Software, and the Microsoft Ecosystem on the Global Economy,” October 2007, sponsored by Microsoft}

For more information, press only:
Kevin Ptak, Porter Novelli for Microsoft New Zealand, +64 9 632-0559, kevin@porternovelli.co.nz

Rapid Response Team, Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, +1 503 443-7070, rrt@waggeneredstrom.com