Method for tracking software lineages
First Claim
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1. A method for determining whether a portion of a digital product has been copied, the method comprising:
- calculating a footprint for a digital product to produce a calculated footprint;
determining whether a purchasing event has occurred;
comparing the calculated footprint with a stored footprint; and
determining that the digital product has been copied when the calculated footprint differs from the stored footprint and the purchasing event has not occurred.
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Abstract
Software lineages arise through purchase and reproduction. Lineages are tracked by storing lineage-relevant information in variable regions of software instances and/or in a central database according to methods disclosed.
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Citations
31 Claims
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1. A method for determining whether a portion of a digital product has been copied, the method comprising:
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calculating a footprint for a digital product to produce a calculated footprint;
determining whether a purchasing event has occurred;
comparing the calculated footprint with a stored footprint; and
determining that the digital product has been copied when the calculated footprint differs from the stored footprint and the purchasing event has not occurred. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A computer readable storage medium including computer executable code for determining whether a portion of a digital product has been copied, the code performing the steps of:
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calculating a footprint for a digital product to produce a calculated footprint;
determining whether a purchasing event has occurred;
comparing the calculated footprint with a stored footprint; and
determining that the digital product has been copied when the calculated footprint differs from the stored footprint and the purchasing event has not occurred. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A computer readable storage medium including computer executable code for locking a feature of a digital product, the code performing the steps of:
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enabling a first user to access a first feature of a digital product in a first context;
passing a copy of the digital product to a second user;
determining whether the second user attempts to access the digital product in a second context distinct from the first context; and
if the second user attempts to access the digital product in the second context, locking the feature from the second user. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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21. A method for locking a feature of a digital product, the method comprising:
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enabling a first user to access a first feature of a digital product in a first context;
passing a copy of the digital product to a second user;
determining whether the second user attempts to access the digital product in a second context distinct from the first context; and
if the second user attempts to access the digital product in the second context, locking the feature from the second user. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23)
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24. A method for controlling access to a digital product, the method comprising:
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enabling a first user to access a first feature of a digital product in a first context;
passing a copy of the digital product to a second user;
determining whether the second user attempts to access the digital product in a second context distinct from the first context; and
if the second user attempts to access the digital product in the second context, causing the digital product to revert to a demo mode.
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25. A device for determining whether a portion of a digital product has been copied, the device comprising:
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a first processor which calculates a footprint for a digital product to produce a calculated footprint;
a second processor which determines whether a purchasing event has occurred;
a comparator which compares the calculated footprint with a stored footprint; and
a third processor which determines that the digital product has been copied when the calculated footprint differs from the stored footprint and the purchasing event has not occurred. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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Specification