An official of Microsoft said here on Friday that the company would take a more flexible pricing strategy in China to allow more users to afford genuine software.

Lin Congwu, a marketing manager of Microsoft China, thanked the National Copyright Administration for publicly expressing "understanding and support" for the company's anti-piracy efforts.

According to him, Microsoft would actively consider the pricing suggestion of Chinese consumers.

"There is no doubt about whether piracy is right or not. But we can discuss whether software is expensive or not," Lin added.

On Monday, the administration's vice-director Yan Xiaohong said the administration "understands and supports the rights-safeguarding move taken by institutions including Microsoft." However, he pointed out that Microsoft should "pay attention to the methods."

The Microsoft Genuine Advantage (MGA) validation testing software already operates in other countries and regions and Microsoft was surprised by the reaction in China, said Microsoft at a press meeting Oct. 27, 2008.

Microsoft launched the "Windows Genuine Advantage" (WGA) and "Office Genuine Advantage" (OGA) tools last week to test the legitimacy of the software in China's computers. Those whose software failed the tests would see a black desktop or a permanent warning of pirated Office software.

Although the company said it would not collect personal information with the tools, which would not affect computer use, controversy over the move has escalated.

The headline-hitting incident also triggered online surveys on almost every major portal website in China. The majority of respondents said they were unhappy with the move.

The China Computer Federation has issued a public statement condemning the Microsoft moves, saying the company breached the basic ethics of software developers with the unsolicited remote control of computers.

(Xinhua News Agency November 1, 2008)