METHOD FOR PREVENTING ILLEGAL USE OF SOFTWARE, PROGRAM, AND STORAGE MEDIUM

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent software from illegally being used by enabling only a specific computer that a licenser permits to use the software and to actualize that through pure software processing without giving IDs by OS's nor using a hardware key. SOLUTION: Features of a file system of a user computer are extracted and according to them, the licenser side generates key data characteristic of the extracted features and gives them to the user. The user computer side reads current characteristics of the file system of the user's computer when the object software is installed or begins to be used (actuated) and decides whether the software can be used according to the degree of consistency or similarity of the current characteristics to the features of the file system at registration time based upon the key data. On condition that the use is allowed, the key data are so updated as to match the current features of the file system. It is decided whether the use is allowed at a plurality of places in the software to cope with illegal software alterations.