System and method for licensing software

• US 8,898,657 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2003
• Issued: 11/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cyberlink Corporation
• Original Assignee: Cyberlink Corporation
• Inventors: Demeyer, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Deng, Anna
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wu, Junchun
• Application Number:
  US10/678,882
• Publication Number:
  US 20050076334A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,071 Days
• Field of Search: 717/172
• US Class Current: 717/172
• 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 for licensing software on a computer hardware platform, the software including at least two functions each corresponding to a technology, comprising:

in response to a client user initially utilizing the at least one function in the software, transmitting, by the software, an activation request by the software without user interaction for a technology corresponding to the at least one function to a registration clearinghouse, wherein transmitting the activation request causes registration information related to the technology corresponding to the at least one function to be compiled in a registration database;

determining, by a software provider, that the activation request of the technology has been transmitted by the software, wherein the activation request comprises a notification sent from the software to the software provider in response to the client user initially utilizing the at least one function; and

in response to the determination, paying, by the software provider, a licensing fee of the technology to a technology holder, wherein the software provider pays licensing fees to the technology holder only for actual usage of functions in the software by the client user, wherein the licensing fee paid for the actual use of functions is paid on a function-by-function basis.

2. A non-transitory computer readable medium having software from a software provider and used in a software licensing system comprising:

at least one function containing at least one technology;

logic for transmitting an activation request to a registration clearinghouse associated with the software provider without user interaction in response to a client user initially utilizing the at least one function in the software, the activation request related to at least one technology; and

logic for sending registration information 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 by the software provider based on the registration information, wherein a licensing fee of the technology is paid to a technology holder by a software provider only if the technology is actually used by the client user, wherein the activation request comprises a notification sent from the software to the software provider in response to the client user initially utilizing the at least one function, wherein the licensing fee paid for the actual use is paid on a function-by-function basis.

3. The computer readable medium of claim 2, wherein the means for compiling the registration request is a registration database.

4. The computer readable medium of claim 2, wherein the at least two functions is playing a DVD movie.

5. The computer readable medium of claim 2, 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.

6. The computer readable medium of claim 2, wherein:

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

7. A system for licensing software including:

a processor;

a protected software product executed by the processor, the software product including at least two functions, the at least one function containing at least one technology, the software product transmitting an activation request by the software to a software provider without user interaction for the at least one technology corresponding to the at least one function, the activation request comprising a notification sent from the software to the software provider in response to a client user initially utilizing the at least one function, wherein the activation request is sent without user interaction in response to a client user initially utilizing the at least one function in the protected software product; and

a registration clearinghouse for storing registration information associated with identification information compiled in a registration database used by the software provider to track the use of the technology, wherein the software provider provides a payment to a technology holder only for actual usage of the technology, and wherein the payment is provided on a function-by-function basis.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least two functions is playing a DVD movie.

9. The system of claim 7, 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.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the registration database may be accessed by a software provider to determine the actual usage of the technology based on the registration information.

11. A method for licensing software comprising:

providing, by a software provider, software to a user device, the software including at least one technology;

wherein an activation request is transmitted by the software to the software provider in response to the user initially utilizing the at least one restricted functionality module, wherein the activation request comprises a notification sent from the software to the software provider in response to the client user initially utilizing the at least one function;

relieving the restricted functionality, creating activated functionality; and

licensing, by the software provider, the at least at least one registered technology from at least one technology holder based on determining, by the software provider, that the activation request of the technology has been transmitted by the software, wherein a licensing fee of the at least one technology is paid to the at least one technology holder by a software provider only if the at least one registered technology is actually used by the client user, and wherein the licensing fee paid for the actual use is paid on a function-by-function basis.

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

providing, by a software provider, software to a user device, the software including a function with at least one unregistered technology;

wherein an activation request is transmitted by the software to the software provider in response to the user initially utilizing the at least one unregistered technology;

compiling registration data in a registration database; and

determining, by the software provider, that the activation request of the at least one technology has been transmitted by the software;

in response to the determination, paying, by the software provider, a licensing fee of the registered technology to the at least one technology holder, wherein the software provider pays the licensing fee to the at least one technology holder only for actual usage of the function, wherein the licensing fee is paid on a function-by-function basis.