Microsoft caused a bit of a hullaballoo when a remark they made was interpreted as the company allowing pirated users of previous Windows versions to gain access to the free upgrade of Windows 10. Terry Myerson, EVP of OS for Microsoft, said that pirated copies of Windows 10 will be getting permanent watermarks on the desktop to serve as a reminder that they’re using an illegal copy of the OS.
They plan to make people with non-genuine versions of Windows to through the Windows Store to upgrade, which would more or less mean they have to pay. Myerson said though that they intend to offer “very attractive” genuine upgrades for these kinds of users. What they plan on doing, we don’t know just yet. Aside from the watermark though, Microsoft can go as far as not sending essential security updates to the pirated copies.
Source: Ubergizmo