Method of controlling use of digitally encoded products

摘要

A method ( 400 ) of controlling use of a software product (or equivalent digitally encoded products) on a data processing system of a customer by a supplier of the product. The method includes the steps of monitoring ( 433-447 ) operation of the customer system for detecting a condition of use of the product (such as the number of end-users running the product simultaneously), providing ( 450-462 ) reconciliation information indicative of the detected condition of use over a corresponding period of time to a data processing system of the supplier (for example periodically sending a corresponding message through the INTERNET), and updating ( 471-480 ) licensing information stored on the supplier system and indicative of a licensing condition of the product according to the reconciliation information.