JPH07110767A - Method for managing and controlling software utilization license - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simplify the operation management operation of software utilization license permission without lowering the level of security for the software utilization license permission. CONSTITUTION:This method is provided with a license file confirmation processing part 16 for confirming the presence/absence of a license file 1, a control description part authentication processing part 17 for reading the ciphers for authenticating control description of the cipher description part of the license file 1 and authenticating the contents of the control description part of the license file 1, an authentication item selection processing part 18 for reading a cipher message and the relating description part from the ciphers for authenticating a utilization license and a utilization license authentication processing part 19 for comparing information held in a software and the information held in a computer and permitting or denying the utilization of the software.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is intended to prevent software (paid by a software manufacturer) from being illegally copied or used by a user (a person who is permitted to use the software). The present invention relates to a software use license management control method of a software licensee (a side that gives a license to use software).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Software provided by a software maker for a fee is contracted with a user on the assumption that it will be used for a certain period of time. Many of such paid software have various measures to prevent illegal copying during the contract period, illegal use by anyone other than the contractor, and illegal use after the contract period.

FIG. 7 is one of such conventional software use license management methods, in which 1 is a license file, 3 is a cipher description part, and 5 is a use right authentication code. -A license file 1 in which activation conditions such as a computer unique ID have been described by performing confidential processing such as encryption in advance is added, and the license file is installed on the user's computer system together with the paid software. .

Next, the operation will be described. In the cipher description part 3 of the license file 1, ciphertexts for use right authentication are described so as to have a one-to-one correspondence with the application (executable file consisting of an instruction set specific to the computer) name. On the other hand, when the user requests a start request for using the paid software, the requested program confirms the presence or absence of the license file 1 as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 8 (step ST8-
1) If the license file 1 exists, the existence of each application name is confirmed (step ST8).
-2), if each application exists, the cipher description part 3 is read from the license file 1 (step ST
8-3), the application name, the expiration date or period, and the computer unique ID are encrypted (step ST8-4), and the read encryption description section 3 is collated to validate the software usage right. The property is evaluated (step ST8-5), and as a result, if it is verified that the software activation condition is satisfied, the software is activated for the first time.

On the other hand, the software used by the user on the computer equipped with the microprocessor and the memory is
Product consisting of multiple applications (a series of applications that can be used only by suppressing the execution of executable files according to the usage procedure)
And, there is an application that operates by itself.

[0006]

Since the conventional software use license management control method is configured as described above, the application name to be referred to by each application is completely determined at the time of compiling / linking the application. However, due to a software operation problem, the application name cannot be changed after compiling / linking. For this reason, the task of managing the permission to use many applications and managing the permission to execute the applications according to the usage of many software licensees is very complicated. was there.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is possible to flexibly change the software use right permission without lowering the security level for the software use right permission. The purpose is to obtain a software license management control method that simplifies operation management work.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a software use license management control method, wherein a license file confirmation processing section for confirming the presence or absence of a license file and a license file control if the license file exists. The control description part authentication processing part that reads the description part and encrypts it, and the authentication item selection processing part that reads the control description authentication cipher from the cipher description part of the license file and matches it with the encrypted control description, and the verification result, If it is determined that the control description is valid, the encryption code for the right of use corresponding to the product name is read from the encryption description section, the product name, the expiration date or period of use, and the computer unique ID are read and encrypted. As a result of checking with the authentication code, if the usage right is judged to be valid, the software activation permission is granted. It is made of and that license-authentication processing unit.

In the software use license management control method according to the second aspect of the present invention, the control description section for describing what kind of activation condition the software requires in the license file and the validity of the control description. The encryption description section for describing the encrypted information for authenticating and the information of the encrypted activation condition of the software to be activated is provided.

[0010]

In the software use license management control method according to the present invention, the control description is read from the control description section of the license file, encrypted, and the control description authentication cipher described in the cipher description section is read. After verifying the authenticity of the above control description, the ciphertext corresponding to the required product name is selected and read from the usage right authentication cipher in which the product name and the ciphertext have a one-to-one correspondence. Further, the data required for the right-of-use authentication is read from the computer, encrypted, and collated with the read ciphertext to verify the validity of the software activation. The software activated as a result operates according to the contents of the control description.

According to the software use license management control method of the invention of claim 2,
By providing the control description section and the cipher description section, it becomes possible to flexibly control the software use license management and control from the side of the software licensee who issues the license file every time the license file is issued.

[0012]

【Example】

Example 1. An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram of Embodiment 1 of the present invention,
In FIG. 1, the same parts as those in FIG. Reference numeral 11 is a computer for activating software, 12 is a software activation request unit, 13 is a software usage right authentication unit, 14 is a computer data reading processing unit, 15 is a license file reading processing unit, 16 is a license file confirmation processing unit, Reference numeral 17 is a control description unit authentication processing unit, 18 is an authentication item selection processing unit, and 19 is a software use right authentication processing unit. 2 is a schematic diagram of the license file 1. In FIG. 2, 2 is a control description part, 3 is a cipher description part, 4 is a control description authentication code,
Reference numerals 5 respectively indicate encryption codes for use right authentication. Note that the encryption method may be any one of the conventional key method and public key method, and may use any operation method.

Next, the operation will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the first embodiment. When the user tries to activate the software, first, the presence or absence of the license file 1 is confirmed (step ST3-1), and the control description unit 2 and the control description authentication code corresponding to the software to be activated from the license file 1 are encrypted. 4 is read (step ST3-2), and the control description unit authentication processing unit 17 is read.
The control description part 2 is encrypted and collated with the control description authentication cipher 4 (step ST3-3) or the control description part 2 is decrypted and collated with the control description part 2 to obtain the control description. The legitimacy is authenticated (step ST3-4). If the control description is correct, the authentication item selection processing unit 18 follows the contents of the control description unit 2 to use right authentication code 5
(Steps ST3-5, 6), the computer unique ID, the expiration date or period, the number of users, and other data are retrieved from the computer 11 and encrypted by the usage right authentication processing unit 19 (step ST3-7). Collate with the right-of-use authentication code 5, or decrypt the software right-of-use authentication cryptographic information, and match with the data such as the computer unique ID on the corresponding computer 11, the expiration date or period, the number of users, etc. Then, the software use right is authenticated (step S
T3-8) If the right to use the software is recognized, the software is activated.

Example 2. FIG. 4 shows a description example of the license file 1. The control description section 2 describes what kind of data is included in the data necessary for the authentication of the application activation. In the cipher description part 3, for the application Ap1, the control description authentication cipher 4 is RANDOM and the usage right authentication cipher 5 is RAN.
It has two descriptions, DOMC. RANDOM
A is a numerical string in which the collation of the expiration date and the computer unique ID is encrypted by some calculation method.
MC is a specific Ap1 described in the encryption code 5 for use right authentication.
It is a variety of information such as the expiration date, the unique ID of the computer (in some cases, the license date, the number of users, ...), and a numerical string obtained by encrypting it. When the activation of the application Ap1 is requested, the presence or absence of the license file 1 is confirmed (step ST3-1) according to the flowchart shown in FIG.
The control description for 1 is read from the license file 1 and encrypted (step ST3-2), then the control description authentication cipher 4 is read from the cipher description section 3, and the encrypted control description is compared with the control description authentication cipher 4. Then, the validity of the control description is authenticated (step ST3-3). Here, since the management data requested for the application Ap1 is the expiration date and the computer unique ID,
These pieces of data are read from the computer 11 and encrypted (step ST3-6) and collated with the right-of-use authentication cipher 5 of the software corresponding to the application name Ap1 of the cipher description part 3 (step ST3-7). ),
Authenticate the right to use the software (step ST3
-8) If the right to use the software is recognized, the software is activated. Further, in the second embodiment, it is shown that the management data of the application Ap2 is only the expiration date.

Example 3. 5 shows the license file 1
Another description example of is shown. The control description part 2 describes what kind of application Ap constitutes one product Pr and in what order the application Ap is started. In the cipher description part 3, as the control description authentication cipher 4, Pr1 is Ap1 → Ap2 → Ap3 and Pr2 is Pr2.
Is a control description part 2 in which Ap1 → Ap2 → Ap4 → Ap5.
RAN that encrypted all the contents of
There is one number string DOMA, and the usage right authentication cipher 5 has various information such as the expiration date of Pr1 and the computer ID (in some cases, the license start date, the number of users, ...), and some such information. RANDO encrypted by calculation method
A number string called MB is described. Product Pr1
Request activation, the presence / absence of the license file 1 is confirmed according to the flow chart shown in FIG. 3 (step ST3-1), the control description part 2 for the product Pr1 is read from the license file 1 and encrypted (step ST3). -2). Next, the control description authentication cipher 4 is read from the cipher description unit 3, and the encrypted control description is compared with the control description authentication cipher 4 to authenticate the validity of the control description (step ST3-3).

Here, the application names and the starting order of the products Pr1 are Ap1 → Ap2 → Ap.
It is confirmed that it is 3. Then, the right-of-use authentication cipher 5 corresponding to the product Pr1 of the cipher description unit 3 is read (step ST3-5), the date when the encryption processing is performed by the computer 11 and the computer unique ID (step ST3- 6) is performed (step ST3-
7) The software usage right is authenticated (step ST3-8), and if the software usage right is recognized, it is activated (step ST3-9). Further, in the third embodiment, the product Pr2 is the application Ap1, A
It is composed of p2, Ap4, Ap5, and Ap1 → Ap2 →
This indicates that the startup order is Ap4 → Ap5.

Embodiment 4. Although the third embodiment is an example in which the product of the third embodiment is applied to the product, the product of the third embodiment is replaced with the application, and the application is replaced with the function on the source code of the software to be composed of the plurality of functions. It can be understood that it can be applied to applications. FIG. 6 shows a license file description example for the application Ap1 including the functions fn1, fn2, and fn3 and the application Ap2 including the functions fn1, fn4, and fn5.

[0018]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the invention, the control description is read from the control description section of the license file, encrypted, and collated with the control description authentication cipher read from the cipher description section. Authenticate the above control description, then select and read the ciphertext corresponding to the required product name from the usage right authentication cipher in which the product name and ciphertext have a one-to-one correspondence. Since the data required for the right-of-use authentication is read from above and encrypted, and it is configured to verify the legitimacy of software activation by verifying with the above-mentioned encrypted text, it is possible to use multiple products with one license file. And multiple applications and license management of various functions within one application, or the software licenser side executes or controls the execution order. Managing of easily performed yet described becomes concise thereof is the effect obtained is that administrative work is facilitated.

Further, according to the invention of claim 2, since the control description section and the cipher description section are provided in the license file, the software from the software licensee side which issues the license file There is an effect that the use license management and control can be flexibly controlled every time the license file is issued.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of a license file according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a description diagram of a license file according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a description diagram of a license file according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a description diagram of a license file according to the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a description diagram of a conventional license file.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a conventional software license agreement.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 License File 2 Control Description Part 3 Cryptographic Description Part 16 License File Confirmation Processing Part 17 Control Description Part Authentication Processing Part 18 Authentication Item Selection Processing Part 19 Usage Right Authentication Processing Part

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A license file confirmation processing unit for confirming the presence / absence of a license file that describes whether or not to give a right to use the software to a user who requests the use of the software, and control of the license file. Cryptographic description of the license file The control description part authentication processing part for reading and authenticating the control description authentication code of the description part, and the usage right authentication of the control description part of the license file according to the description content of the control description part Authentication code selection processing unit that selects and reads the required ciphertext and its related description portion from the encryption code for use, information held by the software itself, and information held by the computer requesting the use of the software A license for use of software, which includes a right-of-use authentication processing unit that compares the Control method. 2. The item / ciphertext of the license file selected by the authentication item selection processing unit depends on the control description unit for permitting the use of a plurality of functions of the software described in the license file and the contents of the license file. 2. The software use license management control method according to claim 1, wherein there are two fields of a changing cipher description part.