Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/3/84; site sesame.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!harvard!talcott!sesame!slerner
From: slerner@sesame.UUCP (Simcha-Yitzchak Lerner)
Newsgroups: net.micro.pc,net.micro
Subject: Re: software protection - dongles & other gizmos
Message-ID: <224@sesame.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 29-Jul-85 21:01:56 EDT
Article-I.D.: sesame.224
Posted: Mon Jul 29 21:01:56 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 31-Jul-85 23:49:36 EDT
References: <433@othervax.UUCP> <1775@ecsvax.UUCP>
Organization: Lotus Development Corp
Lines: 33
Xref: linus net.micro.pc:4450 net.micro:9952

>   Let me say it again.  The copyright law, and most software
> licenses, allow you to use a purchased program on different
> cpus at *different* times.  ("You may physically transfer the
> Program from one of your own computers to another of your
> computers provided that the Program is used on only one
> computer at a time." - Quoted from the Sorcim Corp. License
> for Supercalc 3)  I could not do this if the program was 
> keyed to a specific dongle which was used by many other
> programs and was in use with another cpu that day (or year.)

Generaly, a program does not share a key with another program.
Rather, the key plugs into a key ring which acts as a communication
interface to the computer.  If you want to run your software on
another system, just unplug the key (it is about the size of an
office key) and carry it to the other system.  If you want to
transfer several programs at once, you can carry the entire
key ring.

This technology does not lock you to one machine.  It does
lock you to one machine _at_a_time_.  (Which is as it should
be.)


-- 
Opinions expressed are public domain, and do not belong to Lotus
Development Corp.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Simcha-Yitzchak Lerner

              {genrad|ihnp4|ima}!wjh12!talcott!sesame!slerner
                      {cbosgd|harvard}!talcott!sesame!slerner
                                slerner%sesame@harvard.ARPA