| 主权项 |
1. A method of providing a pay as you use licensing system, said method comprising:
providing a computer program with at least one function which when used incurs a license fee or is only able to be used when the license fee is paid; recording an identifier of a function of the computer program on an authorization system; recording a user identification with the authorization system, wherein the user identification identifies the user to the authorization system; recording an agreement that relates to the manner of authorized use of the function of the computer program by the user on the authorization system, wherein the manner of authorized use comprises the license fee to be paid for the use of the function; receiving at the authorization system a request from the user to use the function of the computer program, an identifier of the function of the computer program and a user identification in a login request message; verifying at the authorization system the identity of the user from the user identification and checking whether the user identified by the received user identification is authorized to use the function of the computer program identified by the identifier of the function of the computer program according to the agreement, wherein the checking comprises checking that the user has agreed to be charged the license fee or has paid the license fee for use of the function; sending to the user's computer an indication as to whether the user is authorized to use the function of the computer program, so that where the user is verified and authorized to use the function of the computer program, then use of the function of the computer program is allowed, otherwise use of the function of the computer program is denied. |
