In Microsoft's case, their main concern is OEM piracy, and the activation system diminishes the quality of the pirated product sold to the unwitting consumer.
And anecdotally, the activation has pretty much stopped casual sneakerware piracy. People don't loan out their Windows CDs like they used to.
And anecdotally, the activation has pretty much stopped casual sneakerware piracy. People don't loan out their Windows CDs like they used to.