Patent ID: 8301910

Claim:
In a computing device having a location detecting mechanism, a method for enabling compliance with export restrictions on a component of the computing device, said method comprising: detecting an attempt to enable said component for utilization by selection of a single startup icon associated with the component, wherein said component is a software application and two versions of the software application are stored on the computing device for executing on a processor of the computing device, wherein a first version of the software application is export-restricted and a second version of the software application is not export-restricted; automatically identifying a current location of the computing device prior to enabling utilization of the component; determining when said current location is one of a pre-identified unauthorized location in which the first version of the software application is not authorized to be utilized; in response to said current location being an authorized location for utilization of said component, activating said component for utilization within said computing device by executing the first version of the software application on the processor; and in response to the current location being one of the pre-identified un-authorized locations, preventing the first version of the software application from being utilized while the computing device is within the pre-identified unauthorized location, wherein said export restrictions on said first version of the software application is enforced; wherein both the first version of the software application that is export-restricted and the second version of the software application that is not export restricted are concurrently installed on the computing device and execution of one of the two versions of the software application is initiated via selection of a single selection/startup icon on a graphical user interface (GUI) of the computing device, which selection activates the export-restricted first version as a default version when the current location is an authorized location and activate the second version only when the current location is not an authorized location; wherein said preventing step includes automatically disabling only the export-restricted first version of said software application while the device is in the unauthorized location; wherein said first version is automatically activated for utilization in all locations that is not one of the pre-identified unauthorized locations and said second version is activated for utilization only when a request for utilization of said component is detected within a location that is one of the pre-identified unauthorized locations; wherein seamless activation of one of the versions of the software application is provided via the single startup icon, regardless of the location in which the computing device is being utilized.