Microsoft has denied reports that it has activated its anti-piracy function to limit the use of pirated copies of its software.

Early reports from the Australian media stated that the Windows Genuine Advantage program had been activated and was shutting down most of the functions of pirated copies of Windows. In fact, no such move has been made.

"We definitely have not started anything," said a Microsoft spokeswoman. "We have contacted the writer of the article to clear up the inaccuracies, and he has since filed a new story as there have been no recent updates to WGA in Windows Vista."

The report said that a warning email was sent by Microsoft to a large OEM distributor of Vista warning of the impending activation. The email said that the screen would go black after one hour's use.