Are there any cost-efficient Java Application license protection solutions?

[peonest]

Hi all,

Now we have developed an Eclipse RCP product, what we need is a cost-efficient Java Application license protection solution. Ideally, this solution should be easy to integrate into Java application, and be able to support:

1. create trials, rentals, and pay-per-use applications
2. software activation via phone, fax, email, or the internet
3. Extend a trial, rental or lease for an additional period of time
4. Disable fraudulent purchases
5. Allow partial access
6. Multi-user mode support through a solo server
7. Modify the number of allowed network workstations

I found some commercial Java supported softwares like jProductive, Agilis. The problem is that they are not so cost-efficient for us at the present stage.

Actually, I also found some low cost softwares, which are very closed to our requirements, but they are based on C++, eg: Protection PLUS(Protection PLUS | SoftwareKey), the functions of which are just what we need. I believe some one here may have such experience before, could you please give me some suggestions about this? Any comments will be appreciated.

Regards,
---------------
Li

[toadaly]

If Protection PLUS | SoftwareKey is the solution you really want, why not write a c++ stub for licensing purposes? That wouldn't be much of an undertaking.

[Fubarable]

...why not write a c++ stub for licensing purposes? ...

Can you explain what this is? Thanks! :)

[toadaly]

A stub in this sense, would be a bit of c++ code whose only purpose is to interface to the licensing API. With a few JNI methods, you could validate the license through that dedicated bit of c++, or if you don't want to mess with JNI, you could exec it as a subprocess and accomplish the same communication via stdin/stdout.

[Fubarable]

Thanks for the helpful reply!

[Tolls]

Wouldn't that be trivial to bypass?
You're essentially calling an external bit of code which I would presume (and my ignorance might be showing here) could be itself stubbed out aren't you?

[toadaly]

Yes, if you knew the interface, you could replace the stub with something else, but it would require a sophisticated programmer rather than a casual user, and the sophisticated programmers already know how to crack licensing code anyway. The purpose of licensing code is to make it hard to be casually dishonest, which is what the suggested approach would accomplish.

[Fubarable]

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