Malware & other nasty IT / cyber things

[OUTLAW 09]

I find the NYTs op ed leading line "MicroSoft should have done more for computer users other than for their legally registered customers".

This is interesting for a number of reasons....software producers have for years complained about copyright violations, black copies...etc..and it does in the end drive up the overall cost of their products as they factor that into their own product pricing..to make up for the loss of a sale.

On the other hand do software prices have to be high as the actually cost of manufacturing millions of CDs these days is virtually nothing in the actual sales price....they argue that must continually evolve the product, support the product and sell the product all costs of doing business...

So should a software manufacturer be responsible for the protection of unlicensed end users who have paid nothing for the product??

Or say in the case of Russia the hardest hit...an entire nation state running on illegally copied and or stolen software?? AND then MS is suppose to shallow those costs???