Patent ID: 7313828

Claim:
A method for preventing unauthorized use of software accessing at least one specific hardware module comprising a unique hardware identification sequence wherein said software comprises a license key for being executed, comprising: reading out said hardware identification sequence of said at least one specific hardware module, said reading out being performed at a processing device executing the software; retrieving, at the processing device, a predetermined hardware identification sequence contained in said license key; comparing, at the processing device, said read-out hardware identification sequence with said hardware identification sequence contained in the license key; permitting execution of said software if both sequences match; and wherein said hardware identification sequence contained in said license key is encrypted and a first secret key coded in said software is used to decrypt said hardware identification sequence, wherein at least one of said specific hardware modules is a Bluetooth module comprising a unique Bluetooth hardware address that comprises said hardware identification sequence that is read out, and wherein said first secret key is encrypted additionally using a public key encryption method, comprising: a second secret key which is only known to a trusted third authority; and a public key corresponding to said second secret key; and wherein said second secret key is used for encrypting said first secret key and said public key is used for decrypting said encrypted first secret key and wherein said public key is the only key which allows decrypting data encrypted by the second secret key.