Microsoft Offers Office Pirates a 50% Discount

Rather than threatening Office pirates with legal action, Microsoft is trying a new tactic: offer them a substantial discount to go legal.

As Ghacks reports, Microsoft has been spotted detecting when a pirate copy of Microsoft Office is being used and popping-up a notification just below the ribbon bar. The notification reads, “Get up to 50% off. For a limited time save up to 50% on a genuine Microsoft 365 subscription. Terms apply.”

Clicking the message loads a Microsoft web page that points out pirated software exposes your PC to security threats and lists data loss, virus and malware attacks, and identity theft as potential risks. It also lists what you get with “genuine Microsoft 365” as well as a “Buy now” button with the discounted price.

Even with such a big discount available it's going to be hard to convince someone who's already using a functional version of Microsoft Office to pay for a legal copy. However, Microsoft seems to have made the offer an easier one to refuse for the pirate because the discount is on a Microsoft 365 subscription, not the latest offline desktop version of Office. So it's not a single payment, it's a recurring one that gets substantially more expensive after the first year (and more expensive for everyone next year).