Electronic copy protection mechanism

摘要

A copy protection mechanism for protecting software against copying, consists of a challenge mechanism embedded in each protected item of software. The challenge mechanism has no access to the customer's private keying material. In operation, the challenge mechanism sends a random challenge to the customer's signature server. The signature server signs the challenge, using the customer's private keying material and then returns the signed challenge to the challenge mechanism. The challenge mechanism then verifies the signed challenge, using the customer's public keying material, and prohibits the customer from using some or all of the protected item of software unless the verification is successful. The mechanism permits every customer to receive an identical copy of the copy protected program with the embedded challenge mechanism.