Microsoft Shuts Down Office Anti-Piracy Program

Last Thursday, Microsoft shut down the Genuine Advantage Authentication (OGA) for the company's Office. Previously, if users wanted to download Office add-ins or templates, they had to go through a verification step first to confirm that the Office in use was "genuine." However, users can now skip this step.

It is understood that the main purpose of Microsoft's launch of the Genuine Advantage plan for Office was anti-piracy, used to verify whether the Office in use by the user was genuine. If the user was running pirated Office software, Microsoft would regularly remind the user and prevent them from downloading updates, add-ins, or templates.