Misplaced Pages

Product activation: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editContent deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 22:19, 7 January 2013 editCoin Operation (talk | contribs)152 edits Undid revision 531853374 by Dogmaticeclectic (talk) that source does not say those things← Previous edit Latest revision as of 18:42, 24 December 2024 edit undoPantheraLeo1359531 (talk | contribs)329 edits →Implementations: +IMG 
(70 intermediate revisions by 45 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Refimprove|date=April 2011}} {{Refimprove|date=April 2011}}
'''Product activation''' is a license validation procedure required by some ] ] ] programs. In one form, product activation refers to a method invented by ] and patented (US 5,490,216) by ] where a software application ] hardware serial numbers and an ID number specific to the product's license (a ]) to generate a unique ]. This installation ID is sent to the manufacturer to verify the authenticity of the product key and to ensure that the product key is not being used for multiple installations. '''Product activation''' is a ] validation procedure required by some ] programs. Product activation prevents unlimited free use of copied or replicated software. Unactivated software refuses to fully function until it ''determines'' whether it is authorized to fully function. Activation allows the software to stop blocking its use. An activation can last "forever", or it can have a time limit, requiring a renewal or re-activation for continued use.


==Implementations==
Alternatively, the software vendor sends the user a unique product serial number. When the user installs the application it requests that the user enter their product serial number, and checks it with the vendor's systems over the ]. The application obtains the license limits that apply to that user's ], such as a time limit or enabling of product features, from the vendor's system and optionally also locks the license to the user's system. Once activated the license continues working on the user's machine with no further communication required with the vendor's systems. Some activation systems also support activation on user systems without Internet connections; a common approach is to exchange ] files at an Internet terminal.
]
In one form, product activation refers to a method invented by ] and patented ({{US patent|5490216}}) by ] where a software application ] hardware serial numbers and an ID number specific to the product's license (a ]) to generate a unique installation ID. This installation ID is sent to the manufacturer to verify the authenticity of the product key and to ensure that the product key is not being used for multiple ].


Alternatively, the software vendor sends the user a unique product serial number. When the user installs the application it requests that the user enter their product serial number, and checks it with the vendor's systems over the ]. The application obtains the license limits that apply to that user's ], such as a time limit or enabling of product features, from the vendor's system and optionally also locks the license to the user's system. Once activated the license continues working on the user's machine with no further communication required with the vendor's systems. Some activation systems also support activation on user systems without Internet connections; a common approach is to exchange ] files at an Internet terminal.
] was introduced in the Brazilian version of ] Small Business Edition<ref name="regwizpr">http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/press/1998/dec98/regwizpr.aspx</ref> and ] sold in the ] market. It broadened that successful pilot with the release of ] in the Brazilian market.<ref name="regwizpr" /> Microsoft then rolled out product activation in its flagship ] product. All retail copies sold in ], ], ], ], and ], as well as some sold in ] and the ], required the user to activate the product via the Internet.<ref name="regwizpr" /><ref>http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/press/2000/feb00/apfeaturespr.aspx</ref> However, all copies of Office 2000 do not require activation after April 15, 2003.<ref>http://support.microsoft.com/kb/822244</ref> After its success, the product activation system was extended worldwide and incorporated into ] and ] and all subsequent versions of ] and ]. Despite independently developing its own technology, in April 2009 a jury found Microsoft to have willfully infringed Uniloc's patent. However, in September 2009, US District Judge William Smith "vacated" the jury's verdict and ruled in favour of Microsoft.<ref name="ma">{{cite news |url=http://www.theage.com.au/technology/biz-tech/aussie-inventors-445m-microsoft-windfall-wiped-out-20090930-gc77.html |title=Aussie inventor's $445m Microsoft windfall wiped out |accessdate=2009-11-07 |date=30 September 2009 | location=Melbourne | work=The Age | first=Asher | last=Moses}}</ref> This ruling was subsequently overturned in 2011.

An 'unactivated' product usually acts as a time-limited trial until a product key&mdash;a number encoded as a sequence of alphanumeric characters&mdash;is purchased and used to activate the software. Some products allow licenses to be transferred from one machine to another using online tools, without having to call ] to deactivate the copy on the old machine before reactivating it on the new machine.


An early example of product activation was in the MS-DOS program D'Bridge Email System written by Chris Irwin, a commercial network system for BBS users and Fidonet. The program generated a unique serial number which then called the author's BBS via a dialup modem connection. Upon connection, the serial number was validated. A unique "key" was returned which allowed the program to continue for a trial period. If two D'Bridge systems communicated using the same key, the software deliberately crashed. The software has long since had the entire activation system removed and is now freeware by Nick J. Andre, Ltd. An early example of product activation was in the MS-DOS program D'Bridge Email System written by Chris Irwin, a commercial network system for BBS users and Fidonet. The program generated a unique serial number which then called the author's BBS via a dialup modem connection. Upon connection, the serial number was validated. A unique "key" was returned which allowed the program to continue for a trial period. If two D'Bridge systems communicated using the same key, the software deliberately crashed. The software has long since had the entire activation system removed and is now freeware by Nick J. Andre, Ltd.


===Microsoft===
Some companies such as Adobe require users to "transfer" activation when moving a product from one computer to another, when replacing hardware in an existing computer, or when reformatting a system hard drive. Transfer may involve deactivating a product on the old system before activating it on the new system. Users may be required to be online and to transmit the deactivation to the software provider.{{Citation needed|date=September 2009}}
] was introduced in the Brazilian version of ] Small Business Edition<ref name=regwizpr>{{cite web |url=http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/press/1998/dec98/regwizpr.aspx |title=Microsoft Extends Anti-Piracy Features in Office 2000 |publisher=Microsoft.com |date=1998-12-09 |access-date=2013-05-15}}</ref> and ] sold in the ] market. It broadened that successful pilot with the release of ] in the Brazilian market.<ref name=regwizpr/> Microsoft then rolled out product activation in its flagship ] product. All retail copies sold in ], ], ], ], and ], and some sold in ] and the ], required the user to activate the product via the Internet.<ref name=regwizpr/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/press/2000/feb00/apfeaturespr.aspx |title=Microsoft Incorporates New Anti-Piracy TechnologiesIn Windows 2000, Office 2000 |publisher=Microsoft.com |date=2000-02-10 |access-date=2013-05-15}}</ref> However, all copies of Office 2000 do not require activation after April 15, 2003.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/822244 |title=Frequently asked questions about a problem that may cause Office 2000 prompts you to register after April 15, 2003 |publisher=Support.microsoft.com |access-date=2013-05-15}}</ref> After its success, the product activation system was extended worldwide and incorporated into ] and ] and all subsequent versions of ] and ]. Despite independently developing its own technology, in April 2009 a jury found Microsoft to have willfully infringed Uniloc's patent. However, in September 2009, US District Judge William Smith "vacated" the jury's verdict and ruled in favour of Microsoft.<ref name="ma">{{cite news |url=http://www.theage.com.au/technology/biz-tech/aussie-inventors-445m-microsoft-windfall-wiped-out-20090930-gc77.html |title=Aussie inventor's $445m Microsoft windfall wiped out |access-date=2009-11-07 |date=30 September 2009 |location=Melbourne |work=The Age |first=Asher |last=Moses}}</ref> This ruling was subsequently overturned in 2011.


==Blocking==
==Criticisms<ref>http://www.vttoth.com/CMS/16-articles/191-just-say-no-to-product-activation</ref>==
Software that has been installed but not activated does not perform its full functions, and/or imposes limits on file size or session time. Some software allows full functionality for a limited "trial" time before requiring activation. Unactivated software typically reminds the user to activate, at program startup or at intervals, and when the imposed size or time limits are reached. (Some unactivated software has taken disruptive actions such as crashing or vandalism, but this is rare.)
* If a computer is stolen or destroyed, the activation records on it may be completely lost. It is only by the goodwill of the company that products can be re-activated. This makes backing up to guarantee prevention of substantial loss impossible.{{failed verification|date=January 2013}}
* It can cause inconvenience for the end-user, particularly if phone calls are necessary to complete activation or technical problems, such as ] blocks or activation server ], prevent the activation process from completing.{{failed verification|date=January 2013}}
* It can enforce ] restrictions that may be legally invalid. For example, a company may refuse to reactivate software on an upgraded or new PC, even if the user may have a legal right to use the product under such circumstances.{{failed verification|date=January 2013}}
* If the company ceases to support a specific product (or declares ]), its purchased product may become unusable or incapable of being (re)installed unless an activation-free copy or final patch that removes or bypasses activation is released.{{failed verification|date=January 2013}}
* Although many activation schemes are anonymous, some are accompanied by mandatory registration which require providing the user's address, phone number, and other personal information before the product is activated.{{failed verification|date=January 2013}}
* Many{{Who?|date=January 2013}} argue that product activation does not protect against piracy at all; pirates often find a way to circumvent product activation.{{failed verification|date=January 2013}}
* Product activation has also resulted in many software vendors treating their customers with much more hostility than they did before they introduced it into their products. This can mean that all users, including those with no intention to illegally distribute their products or knowingly acquire or use bootleg copies, are suspected of being involved in activities related to piracy.
* Product activation where there is no straightforward way to transfer the license to another person to activate on their computer has been widely criticised as making second-hand sales of products, particularly games, very difficult. Some suspect companies such as EA to be using product activation to reduce second-hand sales of their games in order to increase sales of new copies.{{failed verification|date=January 2013}}


Some 'unactivated' products act as a ] until a product key&mdash;a number encoded as a sequence of alphanumeric characters&mdash;is purchased and used to activate the software. Some products allow licenses to be transferred from one machine to another using online tools, without having to call ] to deactivate the copy on the old machine before reactivating it on the new machine.
==List of known application software utilizing product activation==
<!-- Note: Do not include games in this list as nearly every PC game requires activation today-->
<!-- Note: Include only notable products in this list which also have a Misplaced Pages article. Do not dump every little app here-->
{{Div col begin|colwidth=30em}}
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]<ref></ref>
* ]
* ] Professional
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ] R2008a and later
* ]
* ]
* ] 3 and later<ref></ref>
* ] 2009 and later<ref name="MSConsumerapps&Games"/>
* ] 3.0
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]<ref></ref>
* ] 2008<ref name="MSConsumerapps&Games"></ref>
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
{{Div col end}}
* All ] software products{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}}
* All ] software products{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}}
* All ] software products{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}}
* All ] software products released after 2005{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}}
* Almost every commercial ] for PC


Software verifies activation every time it starts up, and sometimes while it is running. Some software even "phones home", checking a central database (across the Internet or other means) to check whether the specific activation has been revoked. Some software might stop working or reduce functionality if it cannot connect to the central database.
==List of known products providing product activation for developers<ref> A guide from the Dr. Dobb's journal</ref>==

{{Refimprove-section|date=January 2011}}
==Criticisms==
* Agilis Software's Orion
*It can enforce ] restrictions that may be legally invalid. For example, a company may refuse to reactivate software on an upgraded or new PC, even if the user may have a legal right to use the product under such circumstances.<ref name="191-just-say-no-to-product-activation">{{cite web |url=http://www.vttoth.com/CMS/16-articles/191-just-say-no-to-product-activation |title=Viktor T. Toth - Just Say No... to Product Activation |publisher=Vttoth.com |access-date=2013-05-15}}</ref>
* CrypKey
*If the company ceases to support a specific product, goes out of business due to ] or ], its purchased product may become unusable or incapable of being (re)installed unless an activation-free copy or final patch that removes or bypasses activation is released.<ref name="191-just-say-no-to-product-activation"/>
* ElecKey
*Product activation where there is no straightforward way to transfer the license to another person to activate on their computer has been widely criticised as making second-hand sales of products, particularly games, very difficult. Some suspect companies such as ] to be using product activation to reduce second-hand sales of their games in order to increase sales of new copies.<ref name="191-just-say-no-to-product-activation"/>
* EnigmaProtector
*As the transfer of an activation request usually happens encrypted or at least obfuscated, the user cannot see or check if additional data from his/her machine gets transferred, creating privacy concerns.
* Flexera Software FlexNet Manager
*Malfunction of the activating mechanism can delay users from getting started using newly-licensed software.
* ICE Licence Protection
*Malfunction of the verification mechanism can cause vital software to suddenly stop working until re-activated or patched. This can happen in response to detected changes of installed hardware, or other software, of the operating system.
* OriginKeyring
* PELock
* Protection! Licensing Toolkit
* Serial Sense<ref></ref>
* SolidLicense
* Wibu-Systems Code Meter


==See also== ==See also==
*]
*]
*] *]
*] *]
*]


==References== ==References==
{{reflist}} {{Reflist}}


==External links== ==External links==
* *
*
*


{{Software distribution}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Product Activation}}
]


{{DEFAULTSORT:Product Activation}}
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]

Latest revision as of 18:42, 24 December 2024

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Product activation" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (April 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Product activation is a license validation procedure required by some proprietary software programs. Product activation prevents unlimited free use of copied or replicated software. Unactivated software refuses to fully function until it determines whether it is authorized to fully function. Activation allows the software to stop blocking its use. An activation can last "forever", or it can have a time limit, requiring a renewal or re-activation for continued use.

Implementations

A product key is required to proceed and use Windows 95

In one form, product activation refers to a method invented by Ric Richardson and patented (U.S. patent 5,490,216) by Uniloc where a software application hashes hardware serial numbers and an ID number specific to the product's license (a product key) to generate a unique installation ID. This installation ID is sent to the manufacturer to verify the authenticity of the product key and to ensure that the product key is not being used for multiple installations.

Alternatively, the software vendor sends the user a unique product serial number. When the user installs the application it requests that the user enter their product serial number, and checks it with the vendor's systems over the Internet. The application obtains the license limits that apply to that user's license, such as a time limit or enabling of product features, from the vendor's system and optionally also locks the license to the user's system. Once activated the license continues working on the user's machine with no further communication required with the vendor's systems. Some activation systems also support activation on user systems without Internet connections; a common approach is to exchange encrypted files at an Internet terminal.

An early example of product activation was in the MS-DOS program D'Bridge Email System written by Chris Irwin, a commercial network system for BBS users and Fidonet. The program generated a unique serial number which then called the author's BBS via a dialup modem connection. Upon connection, the serial number was validated. A unique "key" was returned which allowed the program to continue for a trial period. If two D'Bridge systems communicated using the same key, the software deliberately crashed. The software has long since had the entire activation system removed and is now freeware by Nick J. Andre, Ltd.

Microsoft

Microsoft Product Activation was introduced in the Brazilian version of Microsoft Office 97 Small Business Edition and Microsoft Word 97 sold in the Hungarian market. It broadened that successful pilot with the release of Microsoft Publisher 98 in the Brazilian market. Microsoft then rolled out product activation in its flagship Microsoft Office 2000 product. All retail copies sold in Australia, Brazil, China, France, and New Zealand, and some sold in Canada and the United States, required the user to activate the product via the Internet. However, all copies of Office 2000 do not require activation after April 15, 2003. After its success, the product activation system was extended worldwide and incorporated into Windows XP and Office XP and all subsequent versions of Windows and Office. Despite independently developing its own technology, in April 2009 a jury found Microsoft to have willfully infringed Uniloc's patent. However, in September 2009, US District Judge William Smith "vacated" the jury's verdict and ruled in favour of Microsoft. This ruling was subsequently overturned in 2011.

Blocking

Software that has been installed but not activated does not perform its full functions, and/or imposes limits on file size or session time. Some software allows full functionality for a limited "trial" time before requiring activation. Unactivated software typically reminds the user to activate, at program startup or at intervals, and when the imposed size or time limits are reached. (Some unactivated software has taken disruptive actions such as crashing or vandalism, but this is rare.)

Some 'unactivated' products act as a time-limited trial until a product key—a number encoded as a sequence of alphanumeric characters—is purchased and used to activate the software. Some products allow licenses to be transferred from one machine to another using online tools, without having to call technical support to deactivate the copy on the old machine before reactivating it on the new machine.

Software verifies activation every time it starts up, and sometimes while it is running. Some software even "phones home", checking a central database (across the Internet or other means) to check whether the specific activation has been revoked. Some software might stop working or reduce functionality if it cannot connect to the central database.

Criticisms

  • It can enforce software license agreement restrictions that may be legally invalid. For example, a company may refuse to reactivate software on an upgraded or new PC, even if the user may have a legal right to use the product under such circumstances.
  • If the company ceases to support a specific product, goes out of business due to insolvency or consolidation, its purchased product may become unusable or incapable of being (re)installed unless an activation-free copy or final patch that removes or bypasses activation is released.
  • Product activation where there is no straightforward way to transfer the license to another person to activate on their computer has been widely criticised as making second-hand sales of products, particularly games, very difficult. Some suspect companies such as EA to be using product activation to reduce second-hand sales of their games in order to increase sales of new copies.
  • As the transfer of an activation request usually happens encrypted or at least obfuscated, the user cannot see or check if additional data from his/her machine gets transferred, creating privacy concerns.
  • Malfunction of the activating mechanism can delay users from getting started using newly-licensed software.
  • Malfunction of the verification mechanism can cause vital software to suddenly stop working until re-activated or patched. This can happen in response to detected changes of installed hardware, or other software, of the operating system.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Microsoft Extends Anti-Piracy Features in Office 2000". Microsoft.com. 1998-12-09. Retrieved 2013-05-15.
  2. "Microsoft Incorporates New Anti-Piracy TechnologiesIn Windows 2000, Office 2000". Microsoft.com. 2000-02-10. Retrieved 2013-05-15.
  3. "Frequently asked questions about a problem that may cause Office 2000 prompts you to register after April 15, 2003". Support.microsoft.com. Retrieved 2013-05-15.
  4. Moses, Asher (30 September 2009). "Aussie inventor's $445m Microsoft windfall wiped out". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved 2009-11-07.
  5. ^ "Viktor T. Toth - Just Say No... to Product Activation". Vttoth.com. Retrieved 2013-05-15.

External links

Software distribution
Licenses
Compensation models
Delivery methods
Deceptive and/or illicit
Software release life cycle
Copy protection
Category: