Software Copy Protection and Licensing based on XrML and PKCS#11

This paper proposes Software Copy Protection and Licensing techniques based on Xrml and PKCS#11 standards. The purpose of the techniques is to increase the strength of software copy protection and preventing illegal distribution of software, which in turn protects intellectual property and secures the financial benefits for the vendors. The paper proposes a flexible, readable yet secure license structure based on Xrml. The licensing system is combined with two different protection techniques, Protection using Smart Tokens and Protection using Internet Activation Server. The paper illustrates how to map the license structure to grant records used in protection and Rights Management using PKCS standard. Finally, the paper proposes a full system architecture providing different licensing schemes useful in software market.