Real-time license enforcement system and method

• US 7,676,437 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2005
• Issued: 03/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Raden, Gary P., Merchant, Sameer Yusufali, Satkunanathan, Lingan
• Primary Examiner(s): Augustin; Evens J
• Application Number:
  US11/188,401
• Publication Number:
  US 20050256805A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,688 Days
• Field of Search: 705/34, 705/59, 703/27, 700/82, 717/167
• US Class Current: 705/56
• 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]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1408 by monitoring network traffic monitoring network traffic per se H04L43/00

Abstract

A license enforcement system is disclosed herein. The system receives digitized licenses associated with computer applications in a secure license store. The licenses are then monitored and compared with the actual use by users to determine compliance with licenses. If users employ an application in violation of licensing terms then corrective action can be taken such as providing warnings and/or shutting down or denying access to a licensed application. Additional security features are employed to ensure that license store data is valid and that the system is constantly monitored except where a bypass component is properly utilized. Furthermore, a user can utilize a plurality of different wizards such as an add license wizard, a backup license wizard and a restore license wizard, to facilitate easy step-by-step interaction with the license system.

Claims

1. A method implemented by a computing system that includes a processor and memory storing instructions which, when executed by the processor, implement the method for restricting concurrent execution at the computing system of a first application and at least a second application in accordance with a first license granted from a first licensor and corresponding to the first application, the method comprising acts of:

interrogating the computing system, and in response to the interrogating, receiving information identifying the computing system;

generating a hardware identification code based at least in part on the information identifying the computing system;

receiving a license code associated with the first license;

receiving an activation code that is based at least in part on the hardware identification code and the license code;

storing license data corresponding to the first license in a data store that is accessible to the computing system and in response to receiving the activation code, the stored license data including at least an issue date corresponding to a date on which the activation code was received, the hardware identification code, the license code, and a license agreement that provides contractual terms corresponding to at least use of the first application in relation to the second application;

monitoring the stored license data corresponding to the first license and use of the first application and the second application, said second application having a second license granted by a second licensor;

determining that the monitoring is not occurring or that the monitoring is occurring improperly, and restarting the monitoring;

determining, as a result of the monitoring, that the first application and the second application are being concurrently executed at the computing system and that the concurrent execution is a license violation according to the monitored license data corresponding to the first license; and

initiating corrective action in response to the determination that there is a license violation.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising an act of monitoring user logins.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising an act of monitoring hardware associated with the execution of the first application.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the initiated corrective action warns one or more users of the license violation.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the initiated corrective action closes the first application.

6. A computer-implemented license enforcement system comprising a processor and one or more physical computer readable storage media operatively coupled to the processor, the computer readable storage media having stored thereon computer executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, implement the method of claim 1.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the concurrent execution is a license violation further comprises comparing a number of users licensed to utilize the first application to a number of users actually using the first application.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the concurrent execution is a license violation further comprises comparing a number of licenses to a number of devices, a violation occurring where the number of devices is greater than the number of licenses.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the concurrent execution is a license violation further comprises comparing a hardware configuration to an allowable hardware configuration specified by the first license.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying the initiated corrective action based at least in part on a further determined additional violation.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising acts of:

combining at least a part of the hardware identification code and at least a part of the license code to generate an installation code; and

sending the installation code to a license database for generation of an activation code.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the information identifying the computing system includes information identifying one or more of random access memory (RAM), a motherboard, the processor, a sound card, a hard drive, a network adapter, and a display adapter at the computing system.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the license code comprises receiving the license code from a bar code scanner.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising an act of encrypting the stored license data.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising acts of:

interrogating the computing system, and in response to the interrogating, receiving second information identifying the computing system;

generating a second hardware identification code based at least in part on the information identifying the computing system;

defining a tolerance identifying an acceptable difference between the second hardware identification code and the hardware identification code; and

determining that the second hardware identification code differs, beyond the tolerance, from the stored hardware identification code, and initiating corrective action in response to the determination that the second hardware identification code differs from the stored hardware identification code.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising an act of determining that restarting the monitoring failed, and in response to determining that restarting the monitoring failed, closing the first application.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising acts of:

copying the stored license data from the data store to a backup data store;

determining that the stored license data in the data store is invalid;

determining that the stored license data exists in the backup data store, and that the stored license data in the backup data store is valid;

deleting the stored license data in the data store; and

copying the stored license data from the backup data store to the data store.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the stored license data further includes an expiration date that specifies a date when the first license becomes invalid, and a number of licenses that specifies a number of users allowed to use the first application.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a bypass license code, and wherein the initiated corrective action is inaction when the bypass license code is active.

20. A computer program product comprising one or more physical computer readable storage media having stored thereon computer executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform the method of claim 1.