Microsoft is dropping the "Windows Genuine Advantage" name from its product activation and validation technologies as it prepares for Windows 7's release. The company said this morning that it will instead use the name "Windows Activation Technologies" for the anti-piracy tools in Windows 7 and the existing Windows Vista operating system.

The company says it wants to reflect the changes made in the Windows Genuine Advantage anti-piracy program over the years. With the rebranding, Microsoft also appears to be trying to move beyond the program's controversial legacy.

"Fundamentally the technology that appears in Windows Vista and in Windows 7 is different from what we did in Windows XP," said Alex Kochis, Microsoft's Genuine Windows director. "It's different code, it's different components, the experience is different. So coming up on Windows 7, we have taken the step of further clarifying that difference."

The technologies, initially introduced for Windows XP, are meant to discourage people from running counterfeit versions of the operating system. Different stages of the process use product activation keys and online verification to determine if a Windows version is real. Microsoft says it's protecting its customers as much as its business, citing the inherent risks of using pirated software, including the possible preloading of spyware and other security threats.

Windows Genuine Advantage was criticized in the past for falsely identifying some genuine copies as counterfeit. Microsoft also stirred controversy in 2006 when it used its Automatic Updates mechanism to distribute Windows Genuine Advantage tools to PCs behind the scenes.

Microsoft has made a series of changes in response. Most notably, the company no longer puts machines into "reduced functionality mode" when the software isn't activated or validated. Windows Vista Service Pack 1 adopted an approach of nagging alerts instead.

The company is making further refinements in Windows 7. For example, it will no longer gray out the "Activate Later" button for 15 seconds when people log in to systems that haven't been activated. Instead, that button will be immediately clickable, but it will then give people "educational" information about the benefits of genuine software and the risks of pirated programs.

"Our experience with the program overall has clearly shown us that the program can be successful," Kochis said. "If you do manage an anti-piracy program of this kind with the focus on the customer experience in the way we have, you really can ultimately develop a successful program that works well both for customers and also to protect the product. I think that's really where we've arrived today."

Microsoft will still use the phrase "Genuine Windows" to refer to educational, marketing and policy activities related to anti-piracy initiatives, Kochis said. The company will also continue to update Windows Genuine Advantage for Windows XP. However, the "Windows Activiation Technologies" name will be used for the technical components in Windows 7 and Windows Vista.

The company issued the public release candidate of Windows 7 this week but hasn't said when it will come out in final form.