Geographic Software Wrapper for License Enforcement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current software licensing systems face challenges in managing and enforcing licenses across geographic boundaries, leading to issues with software piracy, inefficient resource allocation, and the inability to implement disparate pricing policies based on local economic conditions, which affects revenue and user base expansion.
Innovation Solution
A software licensing system that uses a wrapper with a license validation mechanism to enforce geographic-based use limitations, utilizing reverse IP address lookups to determine the user's location and validate compliance with embedded license policies, allowing for secure and cost-effective distribution and pricing adjustments based on regional markets.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If software is distributed electronically over the Internet under conventional license agreements, then sales and marketing costs are reduced, but the ability to enforce geographic boundaries and prevent piracy is weakened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a wrapper as an intermediary component that sits between the software application and the user, enforcing geographic licensing restrictions. The wrapper validates the user's location against the license terms and controls access to the software, thereby maintaining license enforcement reliability while enabling electronic distribution through the Internet.
2Reliability
If geographic boundary enforcement is implemented, then software piracy is reduced and license compliance is improved, but system complexity and validation overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the geographic validation logic from the core software application and places it within the wrapper component. This separation allows the main application to remain simple while the wrapper handles the complexity of geographic boundary enforcement, location validation, and license compliance checking independently.
3Adaptability or versatility
If conventional licensing systems are used, then software can be distributed widely, but the ability to implement region-specific pricing policies is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables different license terms, pricing structures, and geographic restrictions to be applied to different regions through the wrapper. Vendors can configure region-specific licensing policies that adapt to local market conditions, economic factors, and pricing strategies while maintaining a single electronic distribution channel, thereby capturing incremental revenue from different markets.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer software license management system wrapper for use in a local computer is described. The software wrapper includes a wrapper interface that provides controlled access to a computer software application file. The software application file is encapsulated by security software code to protect it from unauthorized access. The software wrapper also includes a software license key identifying a license policy specifying a use limitation within a geographic boundary. In addition, the software wrapper includes a license validation mechanism that periodically determines compliance with the license policy. The license validation mechanism permits access by another process operating on the local computer through the wrapper interface in response to a valid license confirmation signal received from the license server. A license server that utilizes and an electronic storefront that sells software license wrappers having software use limitations within a geographic boundary also are described.