Pay-as-you-go a way around piracy, Microsoft says
PC World | at | by Mike
Microsoft could reduce losses from software piracy by expanding pay-as-you-go plans like those it has tested in developing countries, a company executive said Wednesday.Charging users as they access services, rather than in one up-front purchase fee, could "take some of the pressure off of the purely licensed model of software," Craig Mundie, Microsoft's research head, said in an interview.
Microsoft launched trials of pay-as-you-go services in countries including India and China in 2006. Its FlexGo technology monitors user time on equipped PCs and asks for payment when a prepaid balance runs out.