In this scenario, it would only be logical to expect software developing firms to push for even more stringent measures to curb piracy. However, in its anti-piracy drive in countries with a high software piracy levels, Microsoft Corporation has decided to exclude India. According to news reports, the company's officials feel that stringent anti-piracy measures built into the software are unsuitablefor the country. Among reasons cited for this are the poor telecom infrastructure and the restricted Internet access. These reasons in themselves appear to be good enough as, for inbuilt measures to be successful, widespread Internet access is essential.

Yet, if one were to look deeper, an even more important reason becomes apparent. Customers must first see the value in software before they are asked to pay for legal copies and perhaps the best way to make them aware of the value of a product is to first allow them to try it out free of cost. In this sense, whether the customer tries out a beta-stage product or a pirated version makes little difference. Only when a sufficient number of customers actually get "hooked" to a product would it really make sense introducing stringent anti-piracy measures.