L I C E N S I N G
Country-Specific Licenses
In an increasingly globalized world where digital goods are distributed across national borders , not only do opportunities grow , but so do the challenges for software manufacturers . International trade offers tremendous growth potential , but how can markets with different pricing structures be protected from abuse ? This is where CodeMeter ’ s new licensing option comes into play : country-specific licenses .
Regional Price Disparities A common issue in international software distribution is the price disparity between different countries . After analyzing the market and setting regional prices , you may face the question : How do I prevent licenses from low-cost regions from being used in high-price markets ? Simply relying on contractual agreements is often not enough . To provide technical protection for your distribution markets , CodeMeter has been offering the option to bind licenses to specific countries since version 8.10 .
Country List ISO-3166-1 With the new licensing option , you can precisely specify the countries where a license should be valid . This is based on the ISO-3166-1 country list , currently consisting of 244 countries . This restriction is encrypted and embedded directly into the license , for example , via the command-line tool CmBoxPgm or the High-Level Programming API ( HIP ). When the license is used , CodeMeter matches the operating system ‘ s country settings with the permissions stored in the license . If there is a violation , such as attempting to use the license in an unauthorized country , an error message will appear . However , the user will not be informed of which countries are allowed – only that the license cannot be used in the current country . In Code- Meter applications like WebAdmin or cmu , it will simply indicate that there is a country-specific restriction , without revealing which countries are permitted .
Export Restrictions In addition to price differentiation , country-specific licenses also provide a way to enforce legal regulations and embargo restrictions . If exports to certain countries are prohibited , you can embed a list of excluded countries in the license . If a user activates the license in one of these countries or in an undetectable location , access will be denied at runtime .
While an administrator could theoretically change the country settings of the operating system , this is not a foolproof protection mechanism . If it is later discovered that the software was used in a restricted country , it suggests intentional misconduct . This either gives you a strong negotiating position with customers who have violated geographical distribution agreements or demonstrates that you have taken all necessary measures to comply with export restrictions .
Supplementary Measures Country-specific licenses are an essential part of enforcing export restrictions through technical means . In KEYnote 43 ( Spring 2022 ), we reported on the option to commission geoblocking for CodeMeter License Central instances hosted by Wibu-Systems . When combined with measures in your e-commerce system and additional checks within your software , you can effectively prevent licenses from being used unlawfully in prohibited regions .
Moreover , it is possible to integrate checks directly within the application itself . The feasibility of these checks depends heavily on the specific application and its technical environment , such as the ability to perform online validations . Our Professional Services team is available to assist you in designing and implementing such solutions .
With country-specific licenses , CodeMeter offers an effective and flexible solution to meet the challenges of international software distribution while ensuring compliance with legal requirements .
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