System and method for licensing software

• US 20050076334A1
• Filed: 10/03/2003
• Published: 04/07/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cyberlink Corporation
• Original Assignee: Cyberlink Corporation
• Inventors: Demeyer, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,898,657 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/177
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]

Abstract

A system and method for licensing software using a clearinghouse to license only the technology modules that an end user registers. The clearinghouse maintains registration information which can be used to bill a software provider for the technology licensed to the end user. The system can be used to compensate technology owners only after the end user registers an unlicensed technology module. Thus, the system and method allows software vendors to reduce costs by licensing only the technologies that an end user actually uses. The clearinghouse can also be used to track the usage of software functionality to determine the popularity of a particular technology.

Claims

1. A method associated with the execution of software on a computer system comprising:

requesting the execution of a software routine in the software, the request initiated by a first party;

determining whether execution of the software routine requires a payment to a third party; and

dispatching a notification to a second party indicating that the software routine has been invoked by the first party, the notification providing an accounting to the second party indicating that a third party requires the payment from the second party for the execution of the software routine.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the third party is a technology holder, and the second party is a party selected from the group consisting of:

a provider of computer hardware; and

a software provider.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second party is a provider of computer hardware, and the third party is a software provider.

4. The method of claim 1, further including the step of:

restricting usage of the software routine until the notification has been sent to a second party.

5. A method for licensing software on a computer hardware platform, the software including at least one function that is restricted to a limited use, comprising:

transmitting an activation request for a technology that must be registered to use the at least one function to a registration clearinghouse;

causing registration information related to the technology that must be registered to use the at least one function to be compiled in a registration database;

receiving a communication that is capable of relieving the limited use restriction of the at least one function; and

determining actual usage of the technology based on the registration information compiled in the registration database.

6. The method of claim 5 further including the step of:

providing payment to a technology holder, the payment based on the actual usage of the technology.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the limited use is selected from the group consisting of:

disallowing the execution of the function;

allowing only a predefined number of uses of the function;

hiding the function from a user interface; and

withholding executable code needed to execute the function.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the predefined number of uses is zero.

9. The method of claim 5, further including the step of:

receiving an invocation from the computer to execute the at least one function that is restricted to the limited use.

10. Software used in a software licensing system comprising:

at least one function that is restricted to a limited use, the function containing at least one technology that must be registered before the limited use is relieved;

logic for transmitting an activation request to a registration clearinghouse, the activation request related to at least one technology that must be registered to use the at least one function;

logic for sending registration information, the registration information related to the technology that must be registered to use the at least one function to the registration clearinghouse, the registration clearinghouse including a means for compiling the registration information, the means for compiling the registration information being accessible to determine actual usage of the technology based on the registration information; and

logic for receiving a communication, the communication including a means for relieving the limited use restriction of the at least one function.

11. The software of claim 10, wherein the means for compiling the registration request is a registration database.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the means for relieving the limited use restriction includes a key code or a source code.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one function is playing a DVD movie.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one technology is selected from the group consisting of:

technology used to decode digital audio; and

technology used to decode digital video.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the limited use selected from the group consisting of:

disallowing the execution of the function;

allowing only a predefined number of uses of the function;

hiding the function from a user interface; and

withholding executable code needed to execute the function.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein:

the means for compiling the registration information may be accessed by a software provider to determine the actual usage of the technology based on the registration information.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein, the software provider provides a payment to a technology holder, the payment based on the actual usage of the technology.

18. A system for licensing software including:

a protected software product, the software product including at least one function that is restricted to a limited use, the function containing at least one technology that must be registered before the limited use is relieved, the software including a logic for receiving a communication, the communication including a means for relieving the limited use restriction of the at least one function; and

a registration clearinghouse for storing registration information associated with identification information compiled in a registration database used to track the use of the technology, the registration clearinghouse also containing the means for relieving the limited use restriction of the at least one function.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the means for relieving the limited use restriction includes a key code or a source code.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the at least one function is playing a DVD movie.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the at least one technology is selected from the group consisting of:

technology used to decode digital audio; and

technology used to decode digital video.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein the limited use is provided by:

disallowing the execution of the function;

allowing only a predefined number of uses of the function;

hiding the function from a user interface;

or

withholding executable code needed to execute the function.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein the registration database may be accessed by a software provider to determine the actual usage of the technology based on the registration information.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the software provider provides a payment to a technology holder, the payment based on the actual usage of the technology.

25. A method for licensing software comprising:

providing software to a user, the software including at least one unregistered technology within at least one restricted functionality module;

receiving a request from a user to relieve the restricted functionality module;

relieving the restricted functionality, creating activated functionality; and

licensing the registered technology from a technology holder.

26. A method for managing the expense of licensed technology comprising:

providing software to a user, the software including at least one unregistered technology within at least one restricted functionality module;

receiving a request from a user to relieve the restricted functionality module;

compiling registration data in a registration database;

relieving the restricted functionality; and

determining the usage of a registered technology based on the registration data in the registration database.