Method for management of licences, system, computer program product and computer-readable medium

Abstract

The invention relates to a method, in particular a computer-aided method, for management of licences for devices (3), in particular for functionalities of devices (3), preferably for software products on devices (3), of users. Furthermore, the invention relates to a system for management of licences for devices (3), in particular for functionalities of devices (3), preferably of software products on devices (3), of users. Moreover, the invention relates to a computer program product and a computer-readable medium.

Description

[0001] Description

[0002] Procedure for managing licenses, system, computer program - product and computer-readable medium

[0003] The present invention relates to a method, in particular a computer-aided method, for managing licenses for users' devices, in particular for functionalities of devices, preferably for software products on devices.

[0004] Furthermore, the invention relates to a system for managing licenses for users' devices, as well as a computer program product and a computer-readable medium.

[0005] Acquiring software or devices is often associated with high costs. Many devices or software products on such devices are tied to a license, meaning only one licensee may effectively use them. For example, license keys are issued and assigned to the specific device on which the software is to run.

[0006] Such license keys are often created by a central licensing network or a central licensing computer and assigned to a device. As long as a license key is assigned to the respective device, it or any software contained on it can be used without problems.

[0007] However, new business models are very open. They often require moving licenses between different devices. A business model can also change, for example, when a new software product is launched. Such a software product may not be able to correctly read and capture an existing license certificate or license key.

[0008] Sometimes it proves problematic that many devices, particularly in industrial applications, are not permanently and / or directly connected to the Internet, so that license keys are transferred to the devices via intermediary computers, so-called mediators. It may also be the case that devices are only occasionally connected to the Internet, so that license keys can only be updated or transferred at specific times.

[0009] Due to a non-direct and non-continuous connection to the internet, a provider's private licensing network is unable to permanently monitor the whereabouts of license keys or licenses. This can lead to a situation where a user may not be able to clearly detect the loss of license keys, even if they have accidentally lost them. This allows a malicious user to obtain additional license keys by pretending to have lost their licenses.

[0010] If the relevant devices are not permanently connected to the Internet or do not have direct contact with a provider's central licensing network, it is possible to transfer licenses without connecting to the central licensing network. For this purpose, the license keys can be stored on a portable storage medium, such as an SD card, and this storage medium can then be connected to the relevant device. The license can then be transferred from one device to another via the portable storage medium.

[0011] Although such a procedure has generally proven effective, it still presents a significant potential for misuse. For example, licenses can be cloned by transferring such a license to a device, then creating a backup of that device including the license contained therein, then transferring the license to another device and restoring the backup with the license contained therein.

[0012] In this way, one license can be used to operate several devices in parallel, even if only one license was purchased for one device.

[0013] One way to address this problem is to no longer transfer license keys to the devices, but to keep them available in a cloud solution. This can also include at least some of the software used in the cloud. However, experience has shown that many users do not connect their devices to the internet for security reasons, making licensing in the cloud impossible. Furthermore, many devices require fast response times in the millisecond range. This, too, is not possible with a cloud-based solution.

[0014] Against this background, the object of the present invention is to provide an alternative method for managing licenses that avoids the aforementioned disadvantages and prevents misuse, i.e., unauthorized duplication of licenses, with a high degree of security. The publication US 2023 / 0206329 Al-Cella et al., "TRANSACTION PLATFORMS WHERE SYSTEMS INCLUDE SETS OF OTHER SYSTEMS," discloses the use of non-fungible tokens (NET) to represent license information.

[0015] The publication WO 2022 / 204404 Al - Quickley et al. "TOKEN-FACILITATED TICKETING, TOKEN-FACILITATED PRE-SALE CAMPAIGNS, AND DIGITAL RIGHTS MANAGEMENT FOR DIGITAL TOKENS" also addresses blockchain technology and NFTs for managing digital rights.

[0016] The publication US 2023 / 245102 Al - Mistele "NON FUNGIBLE TOKEN (NET) BASED LICENSING AND DIGITAL RIGHTS MANAGEMENT (DRM) FOR SOFTWARE AND OTHER DIGITAL ASSETS" also discloses the use of blockchain technology and NFTs for licensing digital products.

[0017] The problem is solved by a method of the type mentioned above, which comprises the following steps:

[0018] - Providing or creating a blockchain data structure that has a sidechain assigned to the respective user;

[0019] - Providing or generating a non-fungible token representing a license for a device;

[0020] - Transferring the non-fungible token to a device- and user-specific wallet to enable the device for use by the user, with transaction data relating to the transfer being stored in a block of the respective sidechain.

[0021] The invention is based on the fundamental idea of ​​using non-fungible tokens as digital twins of licenses, thereby preventing unauthorized duplication of licenses, since such non-fungible token licenses are unique and cannot be duplicated. A non-fungible token is preferably a cryptographically unique, indivisible, irreplaceable, and verifiable token that represents a specific object, in this case a license.

[0022] The reason why duplication of non-fungible tokens is impossible lies in the blockchain data structure. This is preferably a distributed, decentralized database in which transactions can be stored in a tamper-proof manner. A blockchain data structure contains a large number of blocks, with the individual blocks being added one after the other to the existing data structure. In addition to one or more transactions, each block contains a so-called hash value of the previous block. The high security standard of a blockchain data structure is created by a majority of trustworthy nodes in a blockchain network, which carries out what is known as block validation. In the network of nodes participating in a blockchain, a new block is created at regular intervals, for example every five or ten minutes, and the hash value of an existing block is also stored.This checks the validity of the transactions to be deposited in the block.

[0023] The chain of blocks is thus stored at numerous blockchain nodes, and the participating nodes are regularly synchronized. Transaction information is thus stored redundantly in the blockchain network.

[0024] Since all blocks are created based on existing blocks by inserting the hash value of the previous block into a new block, a chain is formed. The transactions are thus protected from tampering, as a chain can be traced back to an initial block by chaining the blocks. Since the transactions are available via the blockchain network, it is possible to trace from which block in the chain, for example, the content of a transaction no longer matches the previous version. The transactions are stored in every verified blockchain in a tamper-proof manner. Changing a transaction in a block that was already created at an earlier point in time in the network can be traced if a checksum is created across the existing blocks.

[0025] The invention takes advantage of the fact that a blockchain data structure does not uniformly contain all licenses for all devices of all users and is publicly accessible, but is essentially split up and a separate so-called sidechain is created for each user. This sidechain is essentially structured like a blockchain as a sequence of blocks with transaction data, however the transaction data only contains information relating to a single user. It is preferably not publicly visible which user currently has which license. In other words, on the one hand the high data security of non-fungible tokens can be used as digital twins of the license, but at the same time the confidentiality of the individual user's data is guaranteed because this transaction data is not visible to the general public due to its storage in a sidechain.Preferably, each user only has access to the sidechains related to their devices. The blockchain data structure can be designed for a software product. This means that different software products can use different blockchain data structures for license management. This means that each user-specific sidechain can also be designed for a software product. In other words, in this case, the sidechain relates not only to a specific user, but also to a specific software product. A separation into different, software-product-specific blockchain data structures can be achieved based on smart contracts.

[0026] A wallet is specifically a software that allows you to store digital objects such as non-fungible tokens.

[0027] The device can be practically any technical device. The device can comprise hardware and at least one piece of software or a software product. In particular, the license can serve to release the software for use on a device. The device can in particular be a device which comprises sensors for recording operating parameters in a production process or is connected to such sensors. The device can have a computer unit and / or storage means on which software or a software product is stored and can run. The license can relate to the release of software or a software product on this device. The software or the software product can be, for example, operating software and / or control software and / or configuration software for setting up technical devices or systems.The device can further be designed to communicate with other devices in a network. For this purpose, it can have wireless or wired interfaces in a manner known per se. According to the invention, the non-fungible token can be provided or generated on the basis of a smart contract. Such a smart contract agrees on certain conditions that are stored in the blockchain data structure. In particular, a smart contract is defined as an if-then condition. If a certain condition is thus met, the contract is automatically processed via the network. An external review of the contract conditions, as takes place, for example, with a notary when buying real estate, is not required because a smart contract is automatically executed when the conditions are met.

[0028] In a further embodiment of the method according to the invention, the non-fungible token can be provided or generated according to the ERC721 standard, and / or the transfer of the non-fungible token can be carried out according to the ERC721 standard. The ERC721 standard is a blockchain data structure based on Ethereum. In particular, an Ethereum Virtual Machine can be used to evaluate the agreements in a smart contract. The use of other blockchain standards, such as Solana, is also possible.

[0029] According to the invention, the non-fungible token is provided on a private licensing network or generated by such a network. This means that a provider who, for example, owns or provides such a private licensing network can create defined non-fungible tokens when a license is needed, requested and / or acquired by a user. This gives the provider complete control over the creation of licenses. In particular, each software product can be assigned its own smart contract. The respective sidechain can be generated or provided on the basis of this smart contract. This design is based on the consideration that only certain participants in the network, namely the private licensing network, are actually authorized to create licenses or corresponding non-fungible tokens.The creation of licenses by other participants, especially the misuse of licenses by users, is therefore not possible. Specifically, the creation of licenses can be restricted to specific nodes of the blockchain network. This is the proof-of-authority concept. Thus, specific computational operations (proof of work) are not performed, but rather the mining of non-fungible tokens, i.e., the process of generating non-fungible tokens, is restricted to specific nodes, specifically a private licensing network. Accordingly, the private licensing network can include or consist of specific nodes of the blockchain network.

[0030] This ensures that the device provider maintains track of which user owns which licenses at any given time. Because each user is assigned their own sidechain, licenses, i.e., non-fungible tokens, cannot be easily transferred from one provider to another.

[0031] Accordingly, the private licensing network can have access to the entire blockchain data structure, whereas a user preferably only has access to the sidechains relevant to him.

[0032] In a further embodiment, the wallet into which the non-fungible token is transferred when a license is transferred is located on the respective device and / or linked to it. In a further embodiment, multiple wallets can be provided for a device and a user. This means that a device can have not just one wallet, but multiple wallets, so that a non-fungible token can be stored selectively in one of the wallets.

[0033] The method can also include transferring a non-fungible token from the wallet of one device to a wallet of another device, preferably of a user. For example, if a user does not wish to use a device for a certain period of time, they can transfer the license relating to that device to another device during that period. To do this, the non-fungible token representing this license is transferred from one wallet to another wallet. The transaction data relating to this transfer is preferably stored in the blockchain data structure, specifically in the two sidechains relating to the devices involved in the transaction. The user can then carry out the transaction.

[0034] In principle, it is also conceivable to transfer licenses from one user's device to another user's device. In this case, the non-fungible tokens are transferred from the corresponding device-specific wallet of one device to the device-specific wallet of another user's device. It is possible that this transfer occurs directly. It is also conceivable that such a transfer between two different users takes place via the private licensing network and / or requires the provider's consent.

[0035] The transfer can be signed by the wallet that contained the nonfungible token. On the user's computer, the sidechain can be supplemented with the transaction data relating to the transfer of the nonfungible token. The blockchain data structure can then be synchronized in the blockchain network so that the transfer of ownership is registered and securely stored. This allows the new device belonging to the same or another user to receive the nonfungible token, thus enabling the device to be used. This procedure can also be referred to as a private transaction.

[0036] Non-fungible tokens are preferably classified according to their security level. This means that different security levels are possible. Specifically, the classification can be performed when the non-fungible token is created and / or made available by the provider's private licensing network.

[0037] For example, non-fungible tokens can be assigned a high-security class, meaning that the corresponding license is tied to a device and cannot be transferred to another device without tracking by the private licensing network. It is also possible that transferring a non-fungible token of this security level to another device requires active approval from the private licensing network. Accordingly, the method can be characterized in that a non-fungible token of the high-security class cannot be transferred from the wallet of one device to the wallet of another device without feedback to the private licensing network or without its approval.

[0038] Another, less high security level (in particular a medium security class of non-fungible tokens) can mean that the corresponding software product requires that a non-fungible token is bound to the respective device while it is to be used. However, it can be transferred by the user to other devices without the private licensing network having to approve this transfer. In other words, the method can be characterized in that a non-fungible token of the medium security class can be transferred from the wallet of one device to the wallet of another device without direct tracking or approval by the private licensing network. By synchronizing the blockchain data structure, the private licensing network can receive the information about the transfer of the non-fungible token at least with a time delay.

[0039] Non-fungible tokens can also be assigned an even lower security level if the sole purpose is to prevent easy cloning of licenses.

[0040] Device-specific wallets can be protected in such a way that only certain software products, preferably installed on the device in question, have access. This ensures that the wallets cannot be copied. Specifically, so-called credentials can be used for this purpose. These are specific software tools that can only be opened by certain software products and / or from a specific device.

[0041] Specifically, the non-fungible tokens can be transferred to different wallets depending on their security level. In other words, each security level can be assigned a different type of wallet. Preferably, a wallet for a low and a medium security level can be characterized by a transfer according to the ERC721 transfer method and commercially available wallet devices. For the medium security level, it can be provided that the data in the wallet is encrypted and can only be decrypted by certain products, i.e., devices and / or software installed on them, of the provider.

[0042] A wallet designed for the high-security class of non-fungible tokens preferentially binds its contents to a specific device, so that the transfer of the non-fungible token is only possible from the private licensing network. A Trusted Execution Environment (TEE), for example, can be used for this purpose. Such a Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) is a secure and trustworthy runtime environment for applications. Specifically, this can be the TPM 2.0 (Trusted Platform Module) infrastructure. This ensures that each device is uniquely identified. Device-specific cryptographic keys are provided. The cryptographic keys of each device are used to decrypt the wallet's contents. If such a wallet is copied, the non-fungible token it contains cannot be used because the device-specific cryptographic keys are missing.In other words, it ensures that the cryptographic keys cannot be exported.

[0043] It is also possible that only one wallet is provided for all non-fungible tokens, although security measures are provided to implement the respective security levels.

[0044] Deactivating a license involves detaching the non-fungible token from the device and typically involves transferring it, preferably according to the ERC721 standard, to the private licensing network. The non-fungible token is then located in the licensing network's wallet and can be transferred by the user to another device.

[0045] In this way, the provider operating the private licensing network can ensure that no unauthorized non-fungible tokens are created or transferred without its consent if the corresponding security level is affected.

[0046] At the same time, a high level of transparency is created for the user, as he can control the non-fungible tokens relating to him at any time and can trace their exact assignment to the individual devices.

[0047] The method may further comprise the destruction of a non-fungible token in order to block the respective device or a functionality or software product contained therein from further use by the user. In other words, a non-fungible token can be specifically destroyed, particularly by a provider, based on the private licensing network, so that the corresponding device or a corresponding functionality, in particular a software product, can no longer be used. For this purpose, a corresponding functionality can be provided in the smart contract.

[0048] The data relating to the destruction of the respective nonfungible token can be stored in the respective device- and user-specific sidechain. It can be provided that the destruction of a nonfungible token can only be initiated by a limited group of people. In particular, these can be certain employees of a provider. Specifically, the destruction of a nonfungible token can be preceded by the identification of the initiator, for example an employee of a provider. Furthermore, the destruction of a nonfungible token can be approved by the private licensing network. In this case, the blockchain data structure, in particular the affected sidechain, can be synchronized so that the revocation of the license takes effect immediately.

[0049] The method can further be designed such that the device must be synchronized with other nodes at least every 30 days. It can be provided that, if this period is exceeded, all affected non-fungible tokens are automatically revoked or blocked, so that the affected devices then only have a test license. This allows the device to continue to be used, at least to a limited extent.

[0050] The object underlying the invention is further achieved by a computer program product that is designed to carry out the method described above when the computer program product is installed on a computer or on a computer network. Furthermore, the object is achieved by a computer-readable medium on which this computer program product is stored.

[0051] Furthermore, the object underlying the invention is achieved by a system for managing licenses for user devices, comprising a private licensing network which is designed to provide and / or generate non-fungible tokens, each representing a license for a device, at least one device, in particular a plurality of devices, of at least one, in particular of several users, each of which contains or is linked to a device- and user-related wallet for non-fungible tokens, so that non-fungible tokens can be transferred from the private licensing network to a wallet in order to release the respective device for use, wherein transaction data relating to the transfer is stored in a block of a sidechain of a blockchain data structure assigned to the respective user.

[0052] Preferably, the private licensing network is designed to access the entire blockchain data structure, i.e., all sidechains.

[0053] For the further development of the invention, reference is made to the dependent claims and to the following description of an embodiment with reference to the drawing.

[0054] The drawing shows:

[0055] Figure 1 shows a system according to the present invention in a schematic representation;

[0056] Figure 2 shows the method according to the invention in a schematic representation;

[0057] Figure 3 shows a blockchain data structure used by the system; and

[0058] Figure 4 shows a detailed schematic representation of part of the method from Figure 2. Figure 1 shows a system according to the invention for managing licenses for devices, in particular for functionalities of devices, preferably for software products on devices, of users. By way of example, three different users A, B, and C are provided.

[0059] The system 1 comprises a private licensing network 2, which is shown schematically. Furthermore, the system comprises a plurality of devices 3, each containing a computing unit 4 in the form of a CPU. These devices 3 can be any practical device. For example, they can be control devices or devices with sensors or devices for data processing. It is also possible for the devices 3 to be industrial PCs or programmable logic controllers or for the devices to include such a controller. The devices 3 are assigned to the various users A, B and C and are structured in different hierarchies, which are shown here merely as examples. In the present case, user A has a snowflake-like topology. The individual devices 3 are grouped and a PC 5, which acts as a mediator, is arranged between the individual devices and the licensing network 2.

[0060] The user B has several PCs 5 which act as mediators and are arranged between the devices 3 and the licensing network.

[0061] For user C, a significantly more complex, largely arbitrary topology can be seen. In some cases, the devices 3 are connected directly to the licensing network 2 via the Internet. For other devices 3, one or more PCs 5 are interposed. Figure 2 now shows the method according to the invention. The private licensing network 2, which is operated by a provider, is designed to provide and generate non-fungible tokens 6, each of which represents a license for a device 3, in particular for a functionality of the device 3, preferably for a software product on this device 3. The method further comprises providing or generating a blockchain data structure 7, which is shown in detail in Figure 3. The blockchain data structure 7 is designed with reference to a software product, i.e. it is provided that a separate blockchain data structure 7 exists for each different software product.Specifically, the blockchain data structure 7 includes a sidechain 8 assigned to each user. In other words, the blockchain data structure 7 is divided into a plurality of separate sidechains 8, each of which forms its own blockchain. The respective sidechains 8 relating to the respective users can only be viewed by the respective user, whereas the private licensing network 2 has access to the data of all sidechains 8, thus the entire blockchain data structure 7.

[0062] The non-fungible token 6, which was generated or provided by the private licensing network 2, is transferred to a device- and user-specific wallet 9 for non-fungible tokens. By transferring it to the wallet 9, the device 3, in particular a functionality of the device 3, preferably a software product on the device 3, is enabled for use by the user. Several wallets 9 are assigned to the respective device 3 or linked to it. Specifically, three wallets 9 are assigned to the device 3 in this case.

[0063] The non-fungible tokens 6 are generally transferred to different wallets 9 depending on their security level. Specifically, a high-security class of non-fungible tokens 6 is tied to a device 3 and cannot be transferred from a wallet 9 of one device 3 to a wallet 9 of another device 3 without feedback to the private licensing network 2 or without its consent.

[0064] A medium-security class of non-fungible tokens 6 is tied to each device 3, but transfer is possible without direct feedback to and approval from the licensing network 2. A low-security class of non-fungible tokens 9 can be transferred between different devices without feedback to the private licensing network 2. The sole purpose here is to prevent unauthorized copying of the non-fungible tokens 6, and thus of the licenses. The classification of the non-fungible tokens 6 is carried out by the private licensing network.

[0065] Accordingly, one of the three wallets 3 is intended for non-fungible tokens 6 of the high security class, another for non-fungible tokens 6 of the medium security class and a third wallet 9 for non-fungible tokens 6 of the low security class.

[0066] When a non-fungible token 6 is transferred, in this case from the private licensing network 2 to a wallet 9 of a device 3, transaction data relating to the transfer is stored in a block of the respective sidechain 8. In this way, the non-fungible token 6, which represents a license for a device 3, in particular for a functionality of the device 3, preferably for a software product contained therein, is assigned to the respective device 3 in a tamper-proof manner. Since the transaction data is stored in the blockchain data structure 7, specifically in a sidechain 8 contained therein, and is stored on a large number of nodes in a blockchain network and is regularly synchronized, a high level of security against tampering is ensured. Due to the binding of the licenses to non-fungible tokens 6, unauthorized duplication of licenses is excluded.

[0067] The private licensing network 2 can include a plurality of nodes 10, as shown by way of example in Figure 4. The nodes 10 of the private licensing network 2 can be a component of the blockchain network. Figure 4 once again shows in detail the transfer of a non-fungible token 6 to a wallet 9, which is coupled or connected to a device 3. The transaction data relating to the transfer is stored in the block of the sidechain 8.

[0068] By binding the licenses to non-fungible tokens 6, unauthorized duplication by users can be prevented, since non-fungible tokens 6 are unique and cannot be duplicated. By storing the transaction data in a blockchain data structure 7, which is permanently synchronized across a large number of nodes, a high level of security against manipulation is ensured. Furthermore, by practically splitting the blockchain data structure 7 into a large number of sidechains 8, a high level of data security can be achieved, since the respective users only have access to the sidechains that apply to them. On the other hand, the provider who operates the private licensing network 2 can have access to all sidechains 8 of the blockchain data structure 7, so that they always have an overview of the existing non-fungible tokens 6 and thus the licenses for the devices.Although the invention has been illustrated and described in detail by the preferred embodiment, the invention is not limited by the disclosed examples and other variations can be derived therefrom by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0069] Regardless of the grammatical gender of a particular term, persons with male, female or other gender identity are included.

Claims

Patent claims 1. A method, in particular a computer-aided method, for managing licenses for devices (3), in particular for functionalities of devices (3), preferably for software products on devices (3), of users, the method comprising the following steps: - Providing or generating a blockchain data structure (7) related to the software product, wherein a separate blockchain data structure (7) is provided or generated for each different software product, wherein a user only has access to the sidechains (8) relating to him; - Providing or generating a non-fungible token (6) which represents a license for one of the devices (3), and the non-fungible token (6) is provided on a private licensing network (2) or is generated by such a network, wherein the non-fungible token (6) is provided or generated on the basis of a smart contract, wherein the non-fungible token (6) is provided or generated in particular according to the ERC721 standard, and / or that the transfer of the non-fungible token (6) takes place in accordance with the ERC721 standard, wherein only the private licensing network (2) is authorized to provide or generate non-fungible tokens (6), wherein in particular a proof-of-authority concept is applied, and wherein only the private licensing network (2) has access to the entire blockchain data structures (7); - Transferring the non-fungible token (6) into a device- and user-related wallet (9) in order to release the device (3), in particular a functionality of the device (3), preferably the software product on the device (3), for use by the user, wherein transaction data concerning the transmission are stored in a block of the respective sidechain (8), and - Classification of the non-fungible tokens (6) with regard to their security level, whereby the classification is carried out when the non-fungible token (6) is created and / or provided by the provider's private licensing network.

2. Method according to the preceding claim, characterized in that multiple wallets (9) are provided for a device (3) and a user. Each security level is assigned a different type of wallet. At least one low, one medium, and one high security class are provided for nonfungible tokens (6), and the wallet (9) is arranged on the respective device (3) or the user and / or is coupled to it.

3. Method according to claim 1 and claim 2, characterized in that the non-fungible tokens (6) are transferred only to certain, different wallets (9) depending on their security level.

4. Method according to claim 1 to 3, characterized in that a high-security class of non-fungible tokens (6) is bound to a device (3) and is not transferred to the private licensing network without feedback (2) or without the consent of the private licensing network (2) from a wallet (9) of one device (3) to a wallet (9) of another device (3), wherein, in particular, the high-security class of non-fungible tokens (6) for transfer from a device (3) to another target device (3) first to the private licensing network (2) and then to the target device (3).

5. Method according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a medium-security class of non-fungible tokens (6) is bound to the respective device (3), and / or that a low-security class of non-fungible tokens (6) can be transferred between different devices (3) without feedback to the private licensing network (2).

6. The method according to claims 1 to 5 enables in particular the respective device (3) not to connect directly to the Internet, but by means of mediators between the private licensing network (2) the nonfungible token (6) is bound to the respective device (3).

7. Method according to one of the preceding claims 6, characterized in that by transferring to the wallet (9), the device (3), in particular a functionality of the device (3), preferably a software product on the device (3), is released for use by the user and does not require any further network connection.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that by splitting the blockchain data structure (7) into a plurality of sidechains (8), a high level of data security is achieved, since the respective users only have access to the sidechains relevant to them. In contrast, the provider operating the private licensing network (2) can have access to all sidechains (8) of the blockchain data structure (7), so that they always have an overview of the existing non-fungible tokens (6) and thus the licenses for the devices.

9. Method according to the preceding claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the transaction data in the Blockchain data structure (7), specifically in a sidechain (8) contained therein, stored on a large number of nodes in a blockchain network and regularly synchronized, which in particular provides a high level of security against manipulation.

10. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the method further comprises the destruction of a non-fungible token (6) in order to block the respective device (3) for use by the user, wherein, in particular, data relating to the destruction of the non-fungible token (6) is stored in the respective user-related sidechain (8).

11. Method according to claim 10, characterized in that the destruction of a non-fungible token (6) can only be initiated by a limited group of people.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that the destruction of a non-fungible token (6) is preceded by an identification of the initiator, wherein, in particular, the destruction of a non-fungible token (6) is released by the private licensing network (2).

13. A computer program product which is designed to carry out the method according to any one of the preceding claims when installed on a computer or on a computer network.

14. A computer-readable medium on which the computer program product according to claim 13 is stored.

15. System (1) for managing licenses for devices (3), in particular for functionalities of devices, preferably of software products on devices (3) by users, comprising a private licensing network (2) which is designed to provide and / or generate non-fungible tokens (6), each representing a license for a device (3), at least one device (3), in particular a plurality of devices (3), of at least one, in particular several users, each of which contains at least one device- and user-related wallet (9) for non-fungible tokens (6) or is coupled to such a wallet, so that non-fungible tokens (6) can be transferred from the private licensing network (2) to a wallet (9) in order to release the respective device (3) for use, wherein transaction data relating to the transfer are stored in a block of a sidechain (8) of a blockchain data structure (7) assigned to the respective user, wherein, in particular, the private licensing network (2) is designed,to access the entire blockchain data structure (7).

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