"Family" Licensing for Home, SOHO

New product activation features in Windows XP will prevent “casual copying” of the operating system (OS) among small office and home office (SOHO) users with two or more PCs, but Microsoft will offer them a modest discount on additional copies of the OS with a new Additional Family Licenses program.

The program allows users to license up to five copies of the OS, with additional copies costing an estimated US$10 to $30 less than regular retail licenses. (Microsoft does not set retail prices for its products, but the estimated retail price for Windows XP Home is US$199 new and US$99 for upgrades.) No media or documentation will be included with the product; purchasers will get an end-user license agreement and an additional product key that will enable them to use their current CD-ROM to install Windows XP on another PC. The additional licenses will initially be available only at retail outlets. In 2002, Microsoft expects to offer additional licenses also via online software vendors and from its Windows Product Activation call center, which has been set up to provide telephone-based activation of Windows XP and to deal with product activation problems.