AUTOMATED SYSTEM FOR MANAGEMENT OF LICENSED SOFTWARE
First Claim
1. A system for enabling licensed software, the system comprising:
- a client module that is attachable to a software application, which software application is loaded on a computer having access to a public network; and
a license server containing software application license records, which license server is accessible over the public network;
wherein the client module communicates with the license server over the public network to determine the existence of a license record corresponding to the software application.
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Abstract
Methods and apparatuses are disclosed for providing a system for automatically tracking use of a software and also for determining whether the software is validly licensed and enabling or disabling the software accordingly. Exemplary systems involve attaching a licensing system module to a software application. Records of valid licenses are stored in the database maintained by the software provider. The licensing system module transparently forms a license record inquiry message. The message is transparently sent to the database over a public network, such as the Internet, to determine whether a valid license record exists in the database for the software application. The database forms and returns an appropriate response message that is interpreted by the licensing system module. The software application can then be appropriately enabled or disabled by the licensing system module. The receipt of the license record inquiry can be recorded in the database to monitor software use.
165 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A system for enabling licensed software, the system comprising:
- a client module that is attachable to a software application, which software application is loaded on a computer having access to a public network; and
a license server containing software application license records, which license server is accessible over the public network;
whereinthe client module communicates with the license server over the public network to determine the existence of a license record corresponding to the software application. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
- a client module that is attachable to a software application, which software application is loaded on a computer having access to a public network; and
Specification