While Microsoft’s largely left its Windows activation the same since Windows XP, it appears the company may now be changing its activation requirements with the upcoming October 26 release of Windows 8 operating system.

A new report from Justin Kerr of Maximum PC claims Microsoft is looking to close “loopholes” in the current activation requirements in an effort to reduce piracy rates for its signature operating system.

One of the ways Microsoft hopes to achieve this is by modifying the OEM versions of the operating system, making it more difficult for pirates to avoid paying Microsoft for the operating system.

Related: How to Install Windows 8 From USB Drive

Process By Which Windows 8 will Reach Users

Instead of providing OEMs with a single activation key, Kerr states, OEMs “will be required to write a unique Windows product key into the BIOS of each new machine shipped.

OEM’s will also be forced to obtain their product keys directly from Microsoft electronically, and each machine will come with a “Genuine Microsoft” sticker affixed to the outside of the case. In the past machines were only required to come with a Certificate of Authenticity. The new requirements only applies to Windows 8 at the moment, however if Windows 7 hangs around as long as Windows XP did in the Vista era, we can probably expect the program to be expanded.

Legitimate customers probably don’t have anything to fear from these changes, and they make absolute sense for Microsoft going forward as long as this doesn’t change.