Software Protection

2. License Management - All in One and One for All

One Form Factor for All Options
A license entry consists of your Firm Code, the freely chosen Product Code, and additional Product Item Options. These options are available without restrictions for all CodeMeter Sticks and CodeMeterAct license files, and combinable anyway you like.

The Memory Giant - Up to 6,000 License Entries
Every CodeMeter Stick contains a SmartCard chip with 60 / 384 kByte of free memory for license entries. You are able to program up to 6,000 licenses in a single CodeMeter Stick.

License Quantity in the Network
Each CodeMeter Stick can be used in a network. By default, each license entry is a network floating license. Do you want to sell a single-user license? Then just program "zero" for the license quantity. Or do you want to sell multiple network licenses? That is also easily done, just set the license quantity to the desired value. As you can see; we have no extra charge for "network" dongles.

Secure Expiration Time with a Real-Time-Clock
Every license entry may hold an Activation and an Expiration Time. This allows you to define the temporary use of your license. Both times are checked against the internal clock in the CodeMeter Stick. Thus hacking the PC system time does not extend the validity of the license.

CodeMeter License Server
By combining an Expiration Time and License Quantity, you can even realize complex licensing models. For example: eight permanent licenses plus two "alive" for the next four weeks. No problem at all!

Usage Period
While you know exactly the license validity in the case of an Expiration Time, there are use cases, where the usage period is to begin at a variable point in time. For example, pre-program demo versions for your distribution partner, or create standby dongles to replace a failed dongle for a limited time.

These scenarios can be accomplished with the Usage Period option. Here, the usage period automatically starts with the first use of the license entry.

Pay-Per-Use Counter
Do you want to bill your software by use, e.g. per print job? Then just use one of the up to 6,000 independent counters inside the CodeMeter Stick. You define for yourself which action in your software decrements the counter by which number of units.

Feature Map
One of the most powerful CodeMeter features is the Feature Map. It is a 32 bit value for bitwise use.

You can enable a differing number of multiple modules using a Feature Map while only one license entry is allocated.

An additional use case is managing versions of your software. Every new major version is coded by one bit. When your customer is authorized to use multiple ver-sions, just set the corresponding bits. In combination with the option License Quantity you also realize downgrade scenarios in a network. Then your customer may use the current version, or (enabled) previous versions up to the specfied License Quantity. But in total never more than the License Quantity you programmed.

Clear Display
Your customer easily sees license entry information on the CodeMeter Stick at a glance when you add a Text option to the entry. This Text is not security relevant but increases clearness.

Data Types
In addition to the data types mentioned above, for the CodeMeter Stick or the CodeMeterAct license file further options exist with differing read and write access states: