(12) United States Patent
`US 6,189,146 B1
`(10) Patent N0.:
`Misra et al.
`(45) Date of Patent:
`Feb. 13, 2001
`
`USOO6189146B1
`
`(54) SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SOFTWARE
`LICENSING
`
`Primary Examiner—Reba I. Elmore
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Lee & Hayes, PLLC
`
`(75)
`
`Inventors: Pradyumna K. Misra; Bradley J.
`Graziadio, both of Redmond; Terence
`R. Spies, Kirkland, all of WA (US)
`
`(73) Assignee: Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA
`(US)
`
`(*) Notice:
`
`Under 35 USC. 154(b), the term Of this
`patent shall be extended for 0 days.
`
`(21) Appl. No.: 09/040,813
`.
`.
`Mar. 18’ 1998
`(22) Flled'
`(51)
`Int. Cl.7 ...................................................... G06F 17/40
`(52) US. Cl.
`.................................... 717/11; 380/4; 380/25
`(58) Field of Search ................................. 395/712; 701/1;
`380/3, 4, 30, 44, 25; 717/11
`
`(56)
`
`References CitEd
`U. S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`4,924,378 *
`5,138,712 *
`5,204,897 *
`5,343,524 *
`5,553,143 *
`5,671,412 *
`5,724,425 *
`5,745,879 *
`5,790,677 *
`
`5/1990 Hershey et al.
`..................... 713/201
`
`8/1992 Corbin ““““““
`713/200
`4/1993 Wyman ......
`380/4
`
`8/1994 Mu et a1.
`380/4
`
`.
`..... 380/25
`9/1996 Ross et a1.
`9/1997 Christiano ......
`707/104
`
`.......................... 380/25
`3/1998 Chang et a1.
`4/1998 Wyman .................................... 705/1
`8/1998 Fox et al.
`............................... 380/24
`
`(57)
`
`ABSTRACT
`.
`.
`.
`.
`A software licensing system includes a license generator
`located at a hcensmg clearinghouse and at least one hcense
`server and multiple clients located at a company or entity.
`When a company wants a software license,
`it sends a
`purchase request (and appropriate fee)
`to the licensing
`clearinghouse. The license generator at the clearinghouse
`creates a license pack containing a set of one or more
`individual software licenses. To prevent the license pack
`from being copied and installed on multiple license servers,
`the license generator assigns a unique license pack ID to the
`license pack and associates the license pack ID with the
`particular license server in a master license database kept at
`the licensing clearinghouse. The license generator digitally
`signs the license pack and encrypts it with the license
`server’s public key. The license server is responsible for
`distributing the software licenses from the license pack to
`individual clients. When a client needs a license, the license
`server determines the client’s operating system platform and
`grants the appropriate license. To prevent an issued license
`from being copied from one client machine to another, the
`software license is assigned to a specific client by including
`.
`.
`.
`.
`.
`a chent ID w1thm the license. The software hcense also has
`a license ID that is associated with the client ID in a database
`record kept at the license server. The license server digitally
`signs the software license and encrypts it using the client’s
`public key The license is stored locally at the client.
`
`* cited by examiner
`
`20 Claims, 8 Drawing Sheets
`
`20
`
`\
`
`Client Image,
`Client Sig
`
`28 ”
`,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
`
`32
`, ,,,,,,,,,,,‘2,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
`
`Intermediate Server
`_
`128-
`
`
`Legacy
`1
`Client
`License
`Licensing
`
`Store
`”n"
`
`3
`
`130
`
`Request
`Handler
`.
`_
`Client
`Authenticating
`Module
`
`124
`3 Challenge
`
`‘
`
`Response
`
`
`
`,,
`I :Eiééfiéé:Elie-é?" "3
`.
`
`
`License
`Challenge}
`Requester
`Handler
`i 134
`132
`
`136 -
`5
`
`/—
`_; -
`License
`140
`5
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`Io
`are:
`“‘2 i
`03°“
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`
`
`l “322:8 Hos
`
`
`License Server
`118
`Client Image
`Installer
`
`122%
`
`1
`
`System ID
`
`26
`”””””””””””””””””
`Licenser Generator
`
`1
`,
`
`.
`
`100
`
`Master License
`Databases
`
`Producer
`
`
`
`Request
`
`120
`
`Client Image
`Cache
`
`
`
`-License
`102
`i
`
`114 3 Secure License
`
`LP Store
`CA
`104
`
`
`
`
`
`
`Table
`Table
`3
`—777777777777777777777777777777777
`106
`P k
`L_
`(LSCertificate, <4—
`installer
`Purchase Request
`icense ac
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`lining)
`
`126 '
`
`“2
`
`.
`Granting
`Module
`
`“6
`1 10
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`Licensefor
`Client ID
`
`I
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`
`
`Client
`
`3,
`
`SAMSUNG EX. 1034 -1/21
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`

`US. Patent
`
`Feb. 13, 2001
`
`Sheet 1 0f 8
`
`US 6,189,146 B1
`
`20\
`
`,,----------------_—--------------------
`E
`Clearinghouse
`
`= "
`
`22
`
`
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`License
`
`Generator
`
`26
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`
`
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`

`

`US. Patent
`
`Feb. 13, 2001
`
`Sheet 2 0f 8
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`US 6,189,146 B1
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`US. Patent
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`US. Patent
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`Feb. 13, 2001
`
`Sheet 4 0f 8
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`US 6,189,146 B1
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`US. Patent
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`Feb. 13, 2001
`
`Sheet 5 0f 8
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`US 6,189,146 B1
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`US. Patent
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`Feb. 13, 2001
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`Sheet 6 0f 8
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`US 6,189,146 B1
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`US. Patent
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`Feb. 13, 2001
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`Sheet 7 0f 8
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`US 6,189,146 B1
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`US. Patent
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`Feb. 13, 2001
`
`Sheet 8 0f 8
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`US 6,189,146 B1
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`

`US 6,189,146 B1
`
`1
`SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SOFTWARE
`LICENSING
`
`TECHNICAL FIELD
`
`This invention relates to systems and methods for licens-
`ing software. This invention further relates to systems and
`methods for enforcing software licenses.
`
`BACKGROUND
`
`Software licensing has historically been based on a “trust”
`model in which the user (i.e., licensee) is presumed to be
`honest and trustworthy and to abide by the legal require-
`ments of the license. Under the trust model, a software
`license typically accompanies a software product to explain
`the terms of use. For instance, the software license might
`dictate that the program code is to be installed on only one
`computer, and may be used to make one backup copy.
`Common types of licenses include “shrink wrap” licenses,
`“online” licenses, and “site” licenses. A “shrink wrap”
`license is a license that accompanies each software product
`that
`is sold individually in a shrink-wrapped package
`through retail stores. The user is typically assumed to accept
`the terms of the shrink wrap license upon breaking the seal
`of the package, or the container that holds the disk itself.
`An “online” license is one that accompanies software
`products that are downloaded online, such as from the
`Internet. The license is typically presented to the user prior
`to downloading the code. The user is presented with a choice
`to accept or reject the license. If the user accepts the license
`(e. g., by clicking an “Accept” button on the screen), the user
`is presumed to have accepted the terms of the license and the
`code is downloaded to the user’s computer.
`A “site” license is a single license that allows installation
`of multiple copies of software on many different computers
`at a particular site or many sites. It is commonly used to sell
`software to corporations, firms, or other entities having
`many computers. The purchaser pays for a certain number of
`copies (e.g., hundreds or thousands), and the site license
`enables the purchaser to install that many copies on its
`computers. The site license is beneficial because the soft-
`ware vendor need not supply a large number of program
`disks, but merely supplies one or a few copies of the
`software and lets the purchaser install the copies without
`violating the agreement.
`Each of the above license arrangements assumes that the
`purchaser is honest. The software purchaser must abide by
`the license terms in order to legally use the software. If the
`purchaser fails to abide by the provisions, the purchaser can
`be charged with civil and criminal violations.
`However, enforcement of such licenses is impractical, if
`not impossible. Unscrupulous users might make multiple
`copies of the software code and install it on more computers
`than the license allows. Yet, software vendors cannot begin
`to monitor these abuses because they occur in the privacy of
`the home or company. Thus, it is believed that the software
`industry loses a large percentage of revenues each year
`simply due to illegitimate use of software by the licensees.
`This loss does not even account for the problems of overseas
`pirating.
`Another problem with conventional software licensing
`practices concerns internal monitoring and bookkeeping on
`the part of large-site licensees. In most cases, the licensees
`want to comply with the terms of the software licenses, but
`are unable to adequately track the software as it is used
`throughout the site. For example, a large corporation might
`
`10
`
`15
`
`20
`
`25
`
`30
`
`35
`
`40
`
`45
`
`50
`
`55
`
`60
`
`65
`
`2
`purchase several thousand copies of the software and begin
`installing the copies. However, computers and personnel
`change over time and it is difficult to centrally monitor how
`many copies have been installed, whether the copies have
`expired, whether they need upgrading, and SO forth.
`Accordingly, there is a need to develop a new approach to
`licensing software in a manner that assures that the terms are
`being meet and assists the licensee with monitoring whether
`it is in compliance with the software license.
`SUMMARY
`
`This invention concerns a system and method for licens-
`ing software. The system and method provides confidence to
`the vendor that the software license is being complied with,
`while also assisting the purchaser in monitoring its own
`compliance with the license.
`According to one aspect of this invention, computer
`software licenses are electronically issued as digital certifi-
`cates that can be distributed in one-to-one correlation with
`
`individual client computers and traced to an issuing author-
`ity.
`According to another aspect, the system includes a license
`generator located at a licensing clearinghouse and at least
`one license server and multiple clients located at or affiliated
`with a company or other entity. Because the clients might
`not have network connectivity to the license server, one or
`more intermediate servers may act as an intermediary for the
`clients. These intermediate servers are otherwise common
`
`servers that provide resources to clients, but with the added
`ability to facilitate connectivity to the license server for
`purposes of distributing software licenses to the clients.
`When a company wants a software license,
`it sends a
`purchase request (and an appropriate fee) to the licensing
`clearinghouse. The license generator at the licensing clear-
`inghouse creates a license pack containing a set of one or
`more individual software licenses. To prevent the license
`pack from being copied and installed on multiple license
`servers, the license generator assigns a unique license pack
`ID to the license pack and associates the license pack ID
`with the license server in a master license database kept at
`the licensing clearinghouse. The license generator also digi-
`tally signs the license pack and encrypts it with the license
`server’s public key. The license generator sends the license
`pack to the license server using standard communications,
`such as over a data communication network (e.g., Internet)
`or via a portable data medium (e.g.,
`floppy diskette,
`CD-ROM, etc.).
`The license server verifies the license generator’s digital
`signature on the license pack and if valid, installs the license
`pack for subsequent distribution of licenses. The license
`server maintains an inventory of software licenses that have
`been purchased from the licensing clearinghouse. The
`license server is responsible for distributing the software
`licenses contained in the license pack to individual clients.
`It monitors the software licenses that have been granted to
`clients and continues to distribute licenses as long as non-
`assigned licenses remain available. Once the supply of
`non-assigned licenses is exhausted, however,
`the license
`server can no longer grant licenses to the clients and the
`customer must purchase a new pack from the license clear-
`inghouse.
`When a client connects to a server, the client presents a
`valid license (if it has one). If the client does not have an
`appropriate license, the server assists the client in obtaining
`a license from the license server. This provides an automated
`mechanism for clients to obtain and license server to dis-
`tribute licenses to clients.
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`US 6,189,146 B1
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`3
`When a license is requested, the license server initially
`checks if the requesting client has already been issued a
`license. When this situation is detected, the license server
`issues the existing license to the client. This is actually
`reissuing of the same license that was previously issued.
`This allows the client to gracefully recover licenses when
`they are lost.
`In one implementation, the license server determines an
`appropriate type of license based in part on the client’s
`operating system platform. The license server derives the
`platform information by establishing a trust relationship
`with the client and then querying its platform type. If a
`software license is available for allocation, the license server
`grants a software license that is appropriate for the client’s
`platform.
`To prevent an issued license from being copied from one
`client machine to another, the software license is assigned to
`a specific client by including its client ID within the license.
`The software license also has a corresponding license ID
`that is associated with the client ID in a database record kept
`at the license server.
`
`The license server digitally signs the software license. The
`license is passed to the client, where it is stored in a local
`cache at the client. Once a client has obtained a license, it is
`responsible for managing the storage of that license.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`the
`
`The same reference numbers are used throughout
`drawings to reference like components and features.
`FIG. 1 shows a software licensing system.
`FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a computer used to
`implement the software licensing system.
`FIG. 3 shows a functional block diagram showing soft-
`ware components and databases that implement the software
`licensing system.
`FIG. 4 shows steps in a method for issuing a license pack
`of individual licenses.
`
`FIG. 5 shows steps in a method for initiating a connection
`between a client and a server and determining whether the
`client has a valid license.
`
`FIG. 6 shows steps in a method for distributing a software
`license to a client.
`
`FIG. 7 shows steps in a method for challenging a client
`prior to granting a software license to that client.
`FIG. 8 shows steps in a method for upgrading a software
`license.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION
`
`the reader is
`The following discussion assumes that
`familiar with public key cryptography. For a basic introduc-
`tion to cryptography, the reader is directed to a text written
`by Bruce Schneier and entitled, “Applied Cryptography:
`Protocols, Algorithms, and Source Code in C,” published by
`John Wiley & Sons, copyright 1994 (second edition 1996),
`which is hereby incorporated by reference.
`FIG. 1 shows a system 20 for licensing software. The
`system 20 has a licensing clearinghouse 22 that creates and
`issues valid software licenses to one or more companies,
`firms, agencies, or other entities, as represented by company
`24. The clearinghouse 22 is a separate entity from the
`company 24. Examples of the clearinghouse include a
`software manufacturer, a software vendor, or a third party
`agent that is authorized to issue software licenses on behalf
`of the software manufacturer or vendor.
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`The company 24 contacts the clearinghouse 22 when it
`desires to purchase a software license to run software on the
`company computers. The clearinghouse 22 has a license
`generator 26 that creates a “license pack” containing a set of
`one or more individual software licenses. The clearinghouse
`22 encrypts the license pack using the destination license
`server’s public key and digitally signs the license pack with
`a digital signature unique to the clearinghouse.
`The company 24 has at least one designated license server
`28. The license pack is sent
`to the company 24 using
`standard communications, such as over a data communica-
`tion network (e.g., Internet) or via a portable data medium
`(e.g., floppy diskette, CD-ROM, etc.), and installed on the
`license server 28.
`
`The license server 28 is responsible for distributing the
`software licenses contained in the license pack to individual
`clients, as represented by clients 30(1)—30(6). The license
`server 28 verifies the license generator’s digital signature on
`the license pack, decrypts the contents of the license pack,
`and stores the individual software licenses for subsequent
`distribution to individual clients.
`
`The license server 28 maintains an inventory of software
`licenses that have been purchased from the licensing clear-
`inghouse 22. The license server 28 monitors the software
`licenses that have been granted to clients. The license server
`28 can distribute licenses to new clients as long as it has
`available non-assigned licenses. Once the supply of non-
`assigned licenses is exhausted, however, the license server
`28 can no longer grant licenses to the clients. The only way
`for the license server 28 to obtain new non-assigned licenses
`is to purchase a license pack from the clearinghouse 22.
`Because the clients might not have network connectivity
`to the license server 28, one or more intermediate servers, as
`represented by servers 32(1) and 32(2), can act as an
`intermediary for the clients. Each intermediate server 32 is
`a common server that provides conventional resources to the
`clients. In addition, each intermediate server 32 has network
`connectivity to the license server 28 to facilitate license
`distribution from the license server 28 to the clients 30. The
`
`intermediate servers 32 accept software licenses issued by
`the license server 28;
`therefore,
`the intermediate server
`associations determine the scope of the license pack to a
`particular license server.
`The clients 30 may be directly coupled to the intermediate
`servers 32 via a LAN (local access network) or WAN (wide
`area network), as represented by clients 30(1)—30(4).
`Additionally, the clients 30 may be indirectly coupled to the
`intermediate servers 32, such as using a dialup connection as
`represented by clients 30(5) and 30(6).
`When a client 30 connects to the intermediate server 32,
`it must present a valid license. If the client does not have an
`appropriate license, the intermediate server 32 assists the
`client in obtaining a license from the license server 28. This
`provides an automated mechanism for distributing licenses
`to clients. The license server 28 initially checks if the
`requesting client already has been issued a license. When
`this situation is detected, the license server 28 issues the
`existing license to the client. This allows the client
`to
`gracefully recover licenses when they are lost.
`In one particular implementation, the license server 28
`determines an appropriate type of license based in part on
`the client’s platform operating system type. The license
`server 28 derives the platform information by establishing a
`trust relationship with the client 30 and then querying its
`platform type. Once a client 30 has obtained a license, it is
`responsible for managing the storage of that license. The
`platform challenge process is described below in more
`detail.
`
`SAMSUNG EX. 1034 - 11/21
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`US 6,189,146 B1
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`5
`Exemplary Computer Used to Implement Servers and/or
`Client
`
`The license generator 26, license server 28, and interme-
`diate server 32 are preferably implemented as computer
`servers, such as Windows NT servers that run Windows NT
`server operating systems from Microsoft Corporation or
`UNIX-based servers. It is noted, however, that the license
`generator 26 and license server 28 may be implemented
`using other technologies, including mainframe technologies,
`as long as they share an inter-operable communication
`mechanism like remote procedure call (RFC) and these
`systems are secure.
`The clients 30 can be implemented as many different
`kinds of computers, including a desktop personal computer,
`a workstation, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a
`handheld PC, and so forth. The clients 30 may further
`represent a terminal device, which is a low cost machine
`with limited local processing and local memory. The termi-
`nal device includes a display, a keyboard, a mouse
`(optional), limited computer resources like memory, and
`enough intelligence to connect to an intermediate server. All
`applications run at the server. The terminal merely provides
`a connection point to the server-based processing.
`The clients 30 might also represent a network-centric
`computer, such as a Network Computer (or NC) or a Net PC.
`FIG. 2 shows an example implementation of a computer
`40, which can be used to implement the license generator 26,
`license server 28, and intermediate server 32. The server 40
`includes a processing unit 42, a system memory 44, and a
`system bus 46 that
`interconnects various system
`components, including the system memory 44 to the pro-
`cessing unit 42. The system bus 46 may be implemented as
`any one of several bus structures and using any of a variety
`of bus architectures, including a memory bus or memory
`controller, a peripheral bus, and a local bus.
`The system memory 44 includes read only memory
`(ROM) 48 and random access memory (RAM) 50. Abasic
`input/output system 52 (BIOS) is stored in ROM 48.
`The computer 40 has one or more of the following drives:
`a hard disk drive 54 for reading from and writing to a hard
`disk or hard disk array, a magnetic disk drive 56 for reading
`from or writing to a removable magnetic disk 58, and an
`optical disk drive 60 for reading from or writing to a
`removable optical disk 62 such as a CD ROM or other
`optical media. The hard disk drive 54, magnetic disk drive
`56, and optical disk drive 60 are connected to the system bus
`46 by a hard disk drive interface 64, a magnetic disk drive
`interface 66, and an optical drive interface 68, respectively.
`The drives and their associated computer-readable media
`provide nonvolatile storage of computer
`readable
`instructions, data structures, program modules and other
`data for the computer 40.
`Although a hard disk, a removable magnetic disk 58, and
`a removable optical disk 62 are described, other types of
`computer readable media can be used to store data. Other
`such media include magnetic cassettes, flash memory cards,
`digital video disks, Bernoulli cartridges, random access
`memories (RAMs), read only memories (ROM), and the
`like. Additionally, the computer 40 may be configured to
`serve data stored on an independent storage systems, such as
`disk array storage systems.
`Anumber of program modules may be stored on the hard
`disk, magnetic disk 58, optical disk 62, ROM 48, or RAM
`50. These programs include a server operating system 70,
`one or more application programs 72, other program mod-
`ules 74, and program data 76. The operating system 70 is
`
`6
`preferably a Windows-brand operating system such as Win-
`dows NT, Windows 95, Windows CE or other form of
`Windows. The operating system 70 may alternatively be
`other types, including Macintosh and UNIX-based operating
`systems.
`A user may enter commands and in formation into the
`computer 40 through input devices such as a keyboard 78
`and a mouse 80. Other input devices (not shown) may
`include a microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish,
`scanner, or the like. These and other in put devices are
`connected to the processing unit 42 through a serial port
`interface 82 that is coupled to the system bus 46, but may
`alternatively be connected by other interfaces, such as a
`parallel port, game port, or a universal serial bus (USB).
`A monitor 84 or other type of display device is also
`connected to the system bus 46 via an interface, such as a
`video adapter 86. The computer 40 has a network interface
`or adapter 88, a modem 90, or other means for establishing
`communications over a network 92.
`
`5 System Architecture
`FIG. 3 shows an exemplary software/hardware architec-
`ture of the system 20. The architecture includes four com-
`ponents: a license generator 26, a license server 28, a client
`30, and an intermediate server 32. The license generator 26
`produces license packs for a fee and the license server 28
`consumes the licenses by installing them. In turn, the license
`server 28 distributes a license to the client 30 with the help
`of the intermediate server 32. The client 30 then uses the
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`license to gain access to the resources provided by the inter
`mediate server 32.
`
`The entity or organization that owns, or is responsibe for,
`the license server 28 registers itself with an independent
`certifying authority that is trusted by both the organization
`and the clearinghouse. The organization submits informa-
`tion identifying itself and various license servers to the
`certifying authority. The certifying authority performs a
`verification analysis of the organization to verify that it is a
`real entity and that the identification information is true and
`accurate. The certifying authority issues a certificate to the
`organization. The certificate contains the public key of the
`organization (or particular license server), which is signed
`by the certifying authority. This certificate becomes the
`license server’s certificate during the initial purchase request
`process when the license server requests a license pack from
`the clearinghouse.
`Similarly, the clearinghouse also registers with the certi-
`fying authority to receive a public certificate. The clearing-
`house certificate contains the clearinghouse’s public key,
`signed by the certifying authority.
`The license generator 26 has a master license database
`100, a licensing producer 102, and a request handler 104.
`The request handler 104 receives a purchase request 106
`from the license server 28 asking to purchase one or more
`license packs. The purchase request includes information
`pertaining to the licenses and license server 28. For example,
`the purchase request might contain such information as a
`license server ID,
`the license server’s certificate (which
`contains the license server’s public key), a client’s platform
`type, the quantity of licenses desired, a product ID, and a list
`of features that the licenses should enable. Additional infor-
`
`mation about a customer (e.g., name, contract number, etc.)
`may also be requested for purposes of tracking and report
`generation. This information is stored in the master license
`database 100.
`
`the license producer 102
`In response to the request,
`generates one or more license packs 108, each of which
`contains a set of one or more non-assigned licenses that are
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`US 6,189,146 B1
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`7
`purchased from the license clearinghouse. The license gen-
`erator 26 creates licensing packs in a way that prevents them
`from being copied and installed on multiple license servers
`28 or being applied multiple times on the same server. In the
`preferred implementation, this is accomplished using IDs
`and cryptographic tools. The license producer 102 assigns a
`unique license pack ID to each license pack and associates
`the license pack ID with the license server 28 in the master
`license database 100. The license pack ID is embedded in the
`license pack 108. This prevents users from multiplying the
`number of licenses they purchase by installing the same
`license pack multiple times on the same license server.
`The license generator 26 encrypts the license packs 108
`with the license server’s public key to ensure protected
`transport to the license server 28 and to ensure that only the
`license server 28 can open the packs 108. The license
`generator 26 also digitally signs the license packs 108 with
`a private signing key of the license generator 26. The license
`server 28 uses this signature to validate that the license pack
`came from an authorized license generator and has not been
`altered.
`
`The license pack 108 is a data structure that contains
`various information to enable the license server to distribute
`software licenses. The data structure contains fields with the
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`licensing information. Table 1 shows the data fields of a
`license pack data structure.
`
`25
`
`TABLE 1
`
`Field
`
`Description / Purpose
`
`Message Version
`
`License Pack Serial
`Number
`
`Issue Date
`First Active Date
`
`Expiration Date
`
`Begin Serial Number
`
`Quantity of Licenses
`Number of Human
`Descriptions
`Array of Human
`Descriptions (Locale,
`Description)
`
`Manufacturer
`
`Manufacturer-Specific
`Product Data
`
`Signature
`
`Clearinghouse’s Public
`Key Certificate
`
`An ID used to distinguish different
`versions of the data structure.
`A serial number assigned by the license
`generator to prevent the license pack from
`being installed multiple times on the same
`license server.
`The date the license pack is issued by the
`clearinghouse.
`The date on which the licenses within the
`license pack can first be used.
`The date on which the licenses within the
`license pack will expire. A license could
`be set such that it does not expire.
`The beginning serial number for the
`licenses in the license pack. The number
`is used to assign a unique serial number to
`each license within the license pack.
`The number of licenses contained within
`the license pack.
`The number of Human descriptions
`included for the license pack.
`Locale-Identifies the locale for the
`Human Description.
`Human Description-A descr