Microsoft could reduce losses from software piracy by expanding pay-as-you-go plans like those it has tested in developing countries. 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 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.

Full Article