DISTINGUISHING LEGITIMATE HARDWARE UPGRADES FROM UNAUTHORIZED INSTALLATIONS OF SOFTWARE ON ADDITIONAL COMPUTERS

摘要

A client transmits requests to access features of a software program to aserver. Therequests include a hardware profile of the computer on which the user isattempting to runthe software. The server stores the hardware profile of the computer on whichthe user isauthorized to run the software program. Responsive to receiving a request, theserverdetermines whether the user is licensed to run the software, by determiningwhether thereceived hardware profile is acceptably similar to the stored hardwareprofile, and/orwhether a sufficient period of time has passed since a previous hardwareupdate.