The point of a free trial version is that it gets their name out there.
The point of a free trial is to let people "try" the software before they "buy" it.
They may not admit to it, but they are well aware of techs and computer repair shops violating their ToS's, and they are OK with it, because it spreads the name.
Yes, companies like MalwareBytes, HMP, etc will make money even though some techs may choose to use their software illegally. And yes, they are aware that people do that. That does not mean that they are okay with it, and that does not mean that illegal use of their software is rationalized.
Very logical, but totally ignoring the realities of business.
As a software vendor, I can tell you that our team has worked for years to develop software for technicians, because we care. That's not meant to be a complaint; we have a great time. My point is we're not money-grubbing Mr. Burns lookalikes sitting in meeting rooms scheming to take every last dollar in your bank account. We do it because we want to provide value to techs. However, we know that despite our good will a small handful of techs sign up for multiple free trials in succession to get the software for free, or only use one account for multiple technicians, etc. Even though these select instances are clearly not condoned by our licensing, it's more effort than it's worth to pursue people, because at the end of the day we're here to make software, not be police. Does that mean it's okay for people to take advantage of us? Not really. You could probably come up with an equivalent story of why it's beneficial for us right?
"More users means more awareness of their software, so they are totally fine with it."
But as I just stated, that's not the case. If it was, it would be a part of our marketing strategy, and it wouldn't be a violation of our ToS. Uber is a great example of a company that has built it's marketing strategy on that. MWB, HMP, and RepairTech do not benefit from techs pirating their software.
In my opinion, there is often a double-standard that is applied to software companies. People demand free trials, free versions, freemium models, etc but then abuse those same models and use them in illegal ways they weren't intended by the software vendor.
Companies exist to provide value to their customers. If one gets value out of the software that is provided to them, they should support the company that provided that value, so that the company can continue to do so. When the company in question is as large as Microsoft, it's very easy to overlook that sentiment, but that doesn't make it morally acceptable.
Of course, you can choose how you want to conduct your own business. At RepairTech, we aren't using any pirated software, we pay for everything we use, because we have seen what happens when companies that we depend on go out of business.
Ian