Electrical computers and digital processing systems: support – Data processing protection using cryptography – Computer instruction/address encryption
Reexamination Certificate
1998-05-22
2001-04-24
Peeso, Thomas R. (Department: 2132)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: support
Data processing protection using cryptography
Computer instruction/address encryption
C713S150000, C713S165000, C380S255000, C380S278000, C380S279000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06223288
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF INVENTION
The invention relates to a system for encrypting a selected program file, the decryption of which is critical to the successful installation or execution of a software program. The encryption method involves wrapping the selected program file to permit limited unlocking thereof without complete decryption or unwrapping.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Demand for network-based distribution of protected and unprotected data is increasing dramatically. Yet, many challenges exist that need to be addressed to effectively distribute data via electronic commerce such as: (1) conducting reliable, secure transactions necessary to build confidence with both information providers (e.g., data publishers) and data customers; and (2) ensuring that information providers or publishers can specify access controls to prevent piracy (e.g., installation of a software program on more than the allowable number of machines specified by a software program vendor), among other challenges.
A need exists for a data distribution infrastructure which addresses the aforementioned challenges and which overcomes a number of disadvantages associated with existing distributed data commerce systems. Existing methods for preparing software programs for retail sales provide several software programs on a compact disc (CD), for example, since a CD has substantial memory capacity. The unit price of each CD, however, can be excessive, particularly if the consumer only wishes to have access to one of the programs stored thereon. Accordingly, software vendors have been encrypting all but one of the software programs available on a CD and selling the CD for the price of the one program that is not encrypted. If the consumer wishes to access the other encrypted programs on the CD, the consumer can contact the software vendor at a later time to purchase the release codes to decrypt remaining software programs on the CD. The software retailer, however, does not profit from the purchases of release codes after the initial sale of the CD. Thus, problems are presented in the software retail chain. Software retailers are less likely to use retail space to display software programs for which they do not receive compensation from vendors for subsequent release code purchases. Consumers are therefore not presented with all of the available software by retailers, and software vendors are provided with a less effective retail chain.
Another problem facing software vendors is piracy of software programs. Piracy can be in a number of forms such as unlocking encrypted software for illegal copying and retail sale, as well as the installation of unlocked software onto more computers than permitted under the software license. A need exists for an encryption/decryption system for software programs which restricts the use of unlocked software to the purposes intended by the software vendor.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, an encryption/decryption system is provided wherein a software program to be distributed comprises at least one critical program file that is persistently encrypted. The critical program file is selected to be a file without which the software program cannot be successfully installed or executed. The critical program file is encrypted to permit the software program to be installed according to the related software license.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, an encryption method uses an encryption wrapper with the critical file and permits only restricted unlocking of the critical file. The critical file is not completely unwrapped or visible to the computer user.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, individual programs within a suite of programs provided by the same software distribution means (e.g., a CD, an internet transaction or a satellite signal transmission) can be individually encrypted using a wrapper on respective critical files in each of the individual programs.
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Peeso Thomas R.
Protexis Inc.
Roylance Abrams Berdo & Goodman
LandOfFree
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