Installing protected software product using unprotected installation image

• US 8,160,962 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2008
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uniloc 2017 LLC (FIG LLC (d/b/a Fortress Investment Group LLC))
• Original Assignee: Uniloc Luxembourg S.à r.l. (f/k/a Uniloc Luxembourg S.A.) (Uniloc Corporation Pty. Limited)
• Inventors: Richardson, Ric B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Reagan, James A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cheung, Calvin
• Application Number:
  US12/235,243
• Publication Number:
  US 20090083730A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,303 Days
• Field of Search: 705/51, 713/189, 717/174
• US Class Current: 705/51
• 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

An installation image for installing an unprotected software product is used to install a protected version of the same product. A protected version of the executable file is embedded in a new installation image with the original installation image, in which the unprotected version of the executable file is damaged so as to be unusable and unreadable. The new installation image causes the original installation image to operate, installing the damaged installation file and other data files. The new installation image then replaces the damaged installation file with the protected installation file.

Claims

1. A method for installing a protected software product using an unprotected installation image, comprising:

loading a master installation image encoded on and loaded locally from a computer-readable medium to initiate an installation process on a client computer system to effect installation of the protected software product, the master installation image including (i) a master installation executable, (ii) the unprotected installation image comprising a damaged unprotected version of a software executable that is deliberately and irreversibly corrupted so that it will not run and cannot be decompiled, and (iii) a protected version of the software executable;

in response to initiating the installation process, installing the damaged unprotected software executable into the client computer system;

deleting the damaged unprotected software executable from the client computer system after installing the unprotected software and before terminating the installation process; and

writing the protected version of the software executable to a memory of the client computer in place of the unprotected software executable that is deleted from the client computer system, to complete installation of the protected software product.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein installing the unprotected software executable file includes installing only a damaged version of the unprotected software executable.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein installing the unprotected software executable file is performed using an installation executable included in the unprotected installation image.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein writing the protected software executable to the memory comprises saving the protected software executable as an executable file in a file system of the client computer.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein saving the protected software executable as an executable file comprises assigning a file name to the executable file that is identical to a prior file name previously used to save the unprotected software executable in the file system.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein writing the protected software executable as an executable file overwrites the unprotected software executable.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating the installation process is performed by the master installation image.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising reading the installation image from a computer-readable medium.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the installation image at the client computer from a remote server.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with instructions comprising:

initiating an installation process on a client system for installation of a protected software executable;

in response to initiating the installation process, installing a damaged unprotected software executable included in a first installation image into the client computer system, the damaged unprotected software executable deliberately and irreversibly corrupted so that it will not run and cannot be decompiled;

deleting the unprotected software executable from the client system after installing the unprotected software arid before terminating the installation process; and

writing the protected software executable to a memory of the client computer in place of the unprotected software executable that is deleted from the client computer system, to complete installation of the protected software product.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, further encoded with instructions for installing only a damaged version of the unprotected software executable.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, further encoded with instructions for installing the unprotected software executable using an installation executable included in the unprotected installation image.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, further encoded with instructions for saving the protected software executable as an executable file in a file system of the client system.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, further encoded with instructions for assigning, a file name to the protected software executable that is identical to a prior file name previously used to save the unprotected software executable in the file system.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, further encoded with instructions for writing the protected software executable as an executable file, thereby overwriting the unprotected software executable.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, further encoded with instructions for initiating the installation process using a second installation image comprising the first installation image, the protected software executable, a first executable for initiating the installation process, and second executable for writing the protected software executable to the client memory.