Method and system for prevention of piracy of a given software application via a communications network

• US 7,024,696 B1
• Filed: 06/14/2000
• Issued: 04/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Uniloc 2017 LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Reuben Bahar
• Inventors: Bahar, Reuben
• Primary Examiner(s): Song, Hosuk
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRUVAN, LEYNNA THANH
• Application Number:
  US09/594,004
• Time in Patent Office: 2,120 Days
• Field of Search: 707202-203, 707/219, 707 6- 9, 380201-203, 713200-201, 713/1, 713/2, 713/168, 713/170, 709/200, 709/202, 709/203, 709/217, 709/219, 709/220, 709/222, 709223-225, 709228-229, 705 56- 59, 705/67, 726 1- 5, 726/14, 726 17- 19, 726/21, 726 22- 23, 726/27, 717130-131
• US Class Current: 726/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/121 Restricting unauthorised execution of programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2201/0064 for copy protection or copy management, e.g. CGMS, copy only once, one-time copy
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/605 Copy protection

Abstract

A method and system for prevention of piracy of a given software application via a communications network, such as the Internet. A given software application, installed on a user system, will not function until it is activated by a remote service provider. This will require the user to provide the remote service provider with user data, such as the user'"'"'s personal identity information and the unique software identification code relating to the specific software. User data will then be compared to archived data in order to determine if the user is a pirator of the software. If not a pirator, the remote service provider may transmit undisclosed service data, such as a software activation code, to the user system. Once activated, the software will become fully operational and allow the user complete access to its functions. In this manner, piracy of a given software application can be prevented.

Claims

1. A method of preventing piracy of a given software application comprising the steps of:

assigning a unique identification code to each authentic copy of such software application;

installing the software application in a data storage element on a user'"'"'s computer;

configuring the software application to require service data to activate at least part of its functionality;

requiring the user to communicate user data over a communications network to a remote service provider, the user data being derived, at least in part, from the unique identification code;

examining received user data to derive the unique identification code associated with the copy of the software application installed by said user

counting the number of times an attempt has been made to obtain said service data in order to activate at least part of the functionality of said software application assigned to such unique identification code; and

selectively transmitting service data to the user'"'"'s computer when said remote service provider determines that the number of times an attempt has been made to obtain said service data in order to activate at least part of the functionality of said software application assigned to such unique identification code is fewer than a predetermined threshold, said user'"'"'s computer being connected to said communications network and designated to storably receive said service data.

2. The method as in claim 1,

wherein said user data comprises the unique identification code that identifies said software application installed on a data storage element of the user'"'"'s computer.

3. The method as in claim 1,

wherein said user data includes identifying data that identifies the user.

4. The method as in claim 1,

wherein said user data includes product information relating to said software application installed on the data storage element of the user'"'"'s computer.

5. The method as in claim 1,

wherein said service data is maintained in the data storage element of the remote service provider.

6. The method as in claim 5,

wherein said service data comprises at least one program code sequence that activates at least part of the functionality of said software application stored on said data storage element of the user'"'"'s computer.

7. The method as in claim 5,

wherein said service data includes at least one program code sequence that results in a promotional message that may be displayed to said user on the user'"'"'s computer system.

8. The method as in claim 1,

wherein said service data is derived at least in part from said user data stored on said data storage element of said remote service provider.

9. The method as in claim 1,

wherein the step of selectively transmitting said service data is an uploading event in which said service data is automatically transferred from said remote service provider and storably received by the user'"'"'s computer system.

10. The method as in claim 1,

wherein the step of selectively transmitting said service data is an uploading event in which said service data is manually transferred from said remote service provider and storably received by the user'"'"'s computer system.

11. The method as in claim 1,

wherein the step of selectively transmitting said service data is a downloading event in which said service data is made available to said user from said remote service provider, and wherein said user downloads said service data into the user'"'"'s computer system.

12. The method as in claim 1,

wherein said software application includes a program code sequence that identifies said software application stored on said data storage element of the user'"'"'s computer system, said software application additionally being responsive to a second program code sequence that activates at least part of the functionality of said software application, and which is transmitted to the user'"'"'s computer system via said communications network.

13. The method as in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

requiring a user to provide identifying data that identifies the user;

deriving the user data that is communicated to the remote service provider, at least in part, from the identifying data that identifies the user;

archiving received identifying data in a data storage element of the remote service provider for each unique identification code; and

comparing the received identifying data for a given unique identification code with previously archived identifying data for the same unique identification code to determine whether they match each other.

14. The method as in claim 13 including the step of restricting transmission of said service data to the user'"'"'s computer if said received identifying data for a given unique identification code does not match previously archived identifying data for the same unique identification code.

15. A system for preventing piracy of a given software application, said software application having a unique identification code associated therewith, and said software application requiring service data to activate at least part of the functionality of said software application, said system comprising:

a user computer system on which a user desires to operate the software application, said user system being connected to a communications network to transmit user data and to receive said service data, said user data being derived at least in part from said unique identification code;

a remote service computer system connected to said communications network to receive user data transmitted over the communications network from the user computer system said remote service computer system transmitting said service data to said user computer system when the number of times an attempt has been made to obtain said service data in order to activate at least part of the functionality of said software application assigned to such unique identification code is fewer than a predetermined threshold.

16. The system as in claim 15

wherein said remote service computer system includes a data storage element for archiving user data for each unique identification code, wherein said remote service computer system compares user data received from the user computer system to user data previously archived by said remote service computer system relative to the same unique identification code, and wherein said remote service computer system transmits said service data to said user computer system when said user data received by said remote service computer system is consistent with user data previously archived by said remote service computer system relative to the same unique identification code.

17. The system as in claim 15

wherein said service data is maintained by said remote service computer system in the data storage element used to archive said service data.

18. The system as in claim 15

wherein said service data consists, at least in part, of an activation code sequence to activate at least part of the functionality of the software application.

19. The system as recited in claim 18,

wherein said service data includes at least one program code sequence that results in a promotional message that may be displayed to said user on said user computer system.

20. The system as in claim 15

wherein said service data is transferred by said remote service computer system without human intervention and received by said user computer system.

21. The system as in claim 15

wherein said remote service computer system manually transfers said service data from said remote service computer system to said user system.

22. The system as in claim 15

wherein said remote service computer system makes said service data available to said user from said remote service system, said user being able to download said service data into said user computer system.

23. The system as in claim 15,

wherein said software application includes a program code sequence that identifies said software application stored on said data storage element of said user system, said software application additionally being responsive to a second program code sequence that activates at least part of the functionality of said software application, and which is transmitted to said user system via a communications network.

24. A method of preventing piracy of a given software application comprising the steps of:

assigning a unique identification code to each authentic copy of such software application;

installing the software application in a data storage element on a user'"'"'s computer;

configuring the software application to require service data to activate at least part of its functionality;

requiring the user to communicate user data over a communications network to a remote service provider, the user data being derived, at least in part, from the unique identification code;

examining received user data to derive the unique identification code associated with said software application;

determining the number of times an attempt has been made to obtain said service data in order to activate at least part of the functionality of said software application assigned to such unique identification code;

selectively transmitting service data to the user'"'"'s computer when the number of times an attempt has been made to obtain said service data is fewer than a predetermined threshold; and

receiving the transmitted service data within the user'"'"'s computer, wherein said service data is used to activate at least part of the functionality of the software application.

25. The method recited by claim 24 further including the step of archiving user data received from users over the communications network in a data storage element of the remote service system.

26. The method recited by claim 25,

wherein received user data for each unique identification code is compared with previously archived user data corresponding to the same unique identification code.

27. The method recited by claim 24 wherein said received service data is stored within the data storage element of the user'"'"'s computer.

28. The method as in claim 24 further comprising the steps of:

requiring a user to provide identifying data that identifies the user;

deriving the user data that is communicated to the remote service provider, at least in part, from the identifying data that identifies the user;

archiving received identifying data in a data storage element of the remote service provider for each unique identification code; and

comparing the received identifying data for a given unique identification code with previously archived identifying data for the same unique identification code to determine whether they match each other.

29. The method as in claim 28 including the step of restricting transmission of said service data to the user'"'"'s computer if said received identifying data for a given unique identification code does not match previously archived identifying data for the same unique identification code.

30. A method of preventing piracy of a given software application comprising the steps of:

a. assigning a unique identification code to each authentic copy of such software application;

b. installing the software application in a data storage element on a user'"'"'s computer;

c. configuring the software application to require service data, said service data being a necessary component to enable at least part of the software'"'"'s functionality;

d. requiring the user to communicate user data to a remote service provided, the user data being derived, at least in part, from the unique identification code;

e. examining received user data to derive the unique identification code associated with said software application;

f. determining the number of times an attempt has been made to obtain said service data in order to activate at least part of the functionality of said software application assigned to such unique identification code;

g. selectively transmitting service data to the user'"'"'s computer when the number of times an attempt has been made to obtain said service data in order to activate the software application assigned to such unique identification code is fewer than a predetermined threshold; and

h. receiving the transmitted service data within the user'"'"'s computer, wherein said service data is used to activate at least part of the functionality of the software.

31. The method recited by claim 30 further including the step of archiving user data received from users.

32. The method recited by claim 31,

wherein received user data for each unique identification code is compared with previously archived user data corresponding to the same unique identification code.

33. The method recited by claim 30, wherein said received service data is stored within the data storage element of the user'"'"'s computer.

34. The method as in claim 30 further comprising the steps of:

requiring a user to provide identifying data that identifies the user;

deriving the user data that is communicated to the remote service provider, at least in part, from the identifying data that identifies the user;

archiving received identifying data in a data storage element of the remote service provider for each unique identification code; and

comparing the received identifying data for a given unique identification code with previously archived identifying data for the same unique identification code to determine whether they match each other.

35. The method as in claim 34 including the step of restricting transmission of said service data to the user'"'"'s computer if said received identifying data for a given unique identification code does not match previously archived identifying data for the same unique identification code.

36. A method of preventing piracy of a given software application comprising the steps of:

a. assigning a unique identification code to each authentic copy of such software application;

b. installing the software application in a data storage element on a user'"'"'s computer;

c. configuring the software application to require service data, said service data being a necessary component to enable at least part of the software'"'"'s functionality;

d. requiring the user to communicate user data to a service provider, the user data being derived, at least in part, from the unique identification code;

e. examining received user data to derive the unique identification code associated with said software application;

f. ascertaining the number of times an attempt has been made to obtain said service data in order to activate at least part of the functionality of said software application assigned to such unique identification code; and

g. determining whether the number of times an attempt has been made to obtain said service data is fewer than a predetermined threshold.

37. The method recited by claim 36 further including the step of archiving user data received from users.

38. The method recited by claim 37,

wherein received user data for each unique identification code is compared with previously archived user data corresponding to the same unique identification code.

39. The method recited by claim 36 further including the step of communicating service data to the user to activate at least part of the said software'"'"'s functionality.

40. The method recited by claim 39, wherein said communicated service data is stored within the data storage element of the user'"'"'s computer.