Patent ID: 7334265

Claim:
A system for preventing unauthorized copying of software, comprising: a software user data processing device; a software supplier data processing device; and a user storage device having encrypted secret information storing means for storing encrypted secret information; said software user data processing device comprising: inherent key generating means for generating an inherent key peculiar to the software user data processing device, inherent key encrypting means for encrypting the inherent key, inherent key distributing means for distributing the encrypted inherent key to said software supplier data processing device, secret information decrypting means for decrypting secret information indispensable for the software to operate properly, which is stored by said encrypted secret information storing means, with said inherent key, falsification detecting means for inspecting whether the system for preventing unauthorized copying of software has been falsified or not, and secret information destroying means for destroying the secret information stored by said encrypted secret information storing means if the system for preventing unauthorized copying of said software has been falsified; and said software supplier data processing device comprising: inherent key decrypting means for decrypting the encrypted inherent key distributed from said software user data processing device, secret information storing means for storing the secret information, secret information encrypting means for encrypting the secret information stored by said secret information storing means with the decrypted inherent key, and secret information distributing means for distributing the encrypted secret information to said software user data processing device and storing the encrypted secret information storing means.