Tracking, distribution and management of apportionable licenses granted for distributed software products

• US 8,805,743 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2006
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bantz, David, Chefalas, Thomas E., Hamilton, Rick A. II, Jalan, Srikant, Mastrianni, Steven J., Pickover, Clifford A., Seaman, James W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nigh, James D
• Application Number:
  US11/616,692
• Publication Number:
  US 20080162360A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,785 Days
• Field of Search: 705/51, 705/59
• US Class Current: 705/59
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/105 Arrangements for software license management or administration, e.g. for managing licenses at corporate level
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/00 Payment architectures, schemes or protocols apparatus for performing or posting payment transactions G07F7/08, G07F19/00; electronic cash registers G07G1/12
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 2220/18 Licensing

Abstract

A computer controlled implementation for distributing portions of a license to use software entities, granted by a licensor to a primary licensee, to subsequent secondary licensees comprising determining a dividable value for the primary license to use a software entity, enabling the primary licensee to grant a portion of the dividable value of the primary license to use the software entity to a secondary licensee, enabling the licensor, the licensee and the secondary licensee to add value to said values of the licenses and tracking said value of the license and of the portion granted to said secondary licensee.

Claims

1. A method for tracking sublicensing of a primary license, granted by a licensor to a primary licensee, to use a software program, the method comprising the steps of:

responsive to identifying, by a computer, a secondary license granted by the primary licensee to a secondary licensee to use the software program, the computer determining a unit cost for portions of the primary license based on a first term of the primary license and a first value of the primary license, the computer determining a second value of a second term of the secondary license based on the unit cost, the computer reducing a right under the primary license by reducing the first value of the primary license by the second value of the secondary license, wherein the first value of the primary license is represented and stored, by the computer, in a first data node for the primary license in a hierarchy of data nodes representing the primary license and sublicensed portions of the primary license, and representing and storing, by the computer, the second value of the second term of the secondary license in a second data node in the hierarchy, wherein the second data node is for the secondary license and the second data node is a child node of the first data node in the hierarchy.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

responsive to identifying, by the computer, the secondary license granted to the secondary licensee to use the software program by the primary licensee, along with reducing the first value of the primary license by the second value of secondary license, the computer also increasing the first value of the primary license by an amount based on a predetermined incentive for sublicensing the software program.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

after representing and storing, by the computer, the second value of the second term of the secondary license in the second data node in the hierarchy, the computer displaying (a) the hierarchy with the first data node representing the primary licensee and the second data node representing the secondary licensee in association with the primary licensee, and (b) in association with the first data node, the first value of the primary license and (c) in association with the second data node, the second value of the secondary license.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of the computer displaying in association with the first data node, the first value of the primary license, is in response to the computer receiving a first user input selecting the first data node, and wherein the step of the computer displaying in association with the second data node, the second value of the secondary license, is in response to the computer receiving a second user input selecting the second data node.

5. A computer system for tracking sublicensing of a primary license, granted by a licensor to a primary licensee, to use a software program, the computer system comprising:

one or more processors, one or more computer readable memories and one or more computer readable storage devices; and

first program instructions to identify a secondary license granted by the primary licensee to a secondary licensee to use the software program, and in response determine a unit cost for portions of the primary license based on a first term of the primary license and a first value of the primary license, determine a second value of a second term of the secondary license based on the unit cost, reduce a right under the primary license by reducing the value of the primary license by the second value of the secondary license, wherein the first value of the primary license is represented and stored, by the computer, in a first data node for the primary license in a hierarchy of data nodes representing the primary license and sublicensed portions of the primary license, and represent and store the second value of the second term of the secondary license in a second data node in the hierarchy, wherein the second data node is for the secondary license and the second data node is a child node of the first data node in the hierarchy, wherein the first program instructions are stored on the one or more computer readable storage devices for execution by the one or more processors via the one or more computer readable memories.

6. The computer system of claim 5, further comprising:

second program instructions to increase the first value of the primary license by an amount based on a predetermined incentive for sublicensing the software program, in response to identifying the secondary license granted to the secondary licensee to use the software program by the primary licensee, wherein the second program instructions are stored on the one or more computer readable storage devices for execution by the one or more processors via the one or more computer readable memories.

7. The computer system of claim 5, further comprising:

second program instructions to display (a) the hierarchy with the first data node representing the primary licensee and the second data node representing the secondary licensee in association with the primary licensee, and (b) in association with the first data node, the first value of the primary license and (c) in association with the second data node, the second value of the secondary license, wherein the second program instructions are stored on the one or more computer readable storage devices for execution by the one or more processors via the one or more computer readable memories.

8. A computer program product for tracking sublicensing of a primary license, granted by a licensor to a primary licensee, to use a software program, to use a software program product, the computer program product comprising:

one or more non-transitory computer readable storage devices, and program instructions stored on at least one or more of the devices, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions, responsive to identifying a secondary license granted by the primary licensee to a secondary licensee to use the software program, for determining a unit cost for portions of the primary license based on a first term of the primary license and a first value of the primary license, determining a second value of a second term of the secondary license based on the unit cost, reducing a right under the primary license by reducing the first value of the primary license by the second value of the secondary license, wherein the first value of the primary license is stored in a first data node for the primary license in a hierarchy of data nodes representing the primary license and sublicensed portions of the primary license, and representing and storing the second value of the second term of the secondary license in a second data node in the hierarchy, wherein the second data node is for the secondary license and the second data node is a child node of the first data node in the hierarchy.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, for increasing the first value of the primary license by an amount based on a predetermined incentive for sublicensing the software program product, in response to identifying the secondary license granted to the secondary licensee to use the software program product by the primary licensee.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, for displaying (a) the hierarchy with the first data node representing the primary licensee and the second data node representing the secondary licensee in association with the primary licensee, and (b) in association with the first data node, the first value of the primary license and (c) in association with the second data node, the second value of the secondary license.