SECURE EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION IN ELECTRONIC DESIGN AUTOMATION WITH LICENSE-RELATED KEY GENERATION

摘要

Electronic data can be exchanged in a secure manner. Information deemed sensitive and otherwise worthy of protection may be secured by methods such as encryption, obfuscation and other security measures. The secured information can be processed without revealing at least some of the secured information. For instance, rule files related to integrated circuit manufacturability may be selectively annotated to indicate portions thereof deserving of protection. An encryption tool can be used to secure the information. A system can then unlock and use the secured information without revealing the same. In one desirable aspect, information can be encrypted or decrypted using a key, the key being generated based on licensing information associated with a software application.