Patent ID: 8898469

Claim:
A method for enabling selected features of a software product residing on an end user electronic device with a license delivered from a licensing provider to a service provider of the end user electronic device, comprising: requesting at least one license to authorize the service provider to enable selected features of the software product residing on the end user electronic device; receiving an encrypted installation key that is unique to the service provider; receiving an authorization agent module for installation on one or more authorization agent devices associated with the service provider; installing the encrypted installation key and the authorization agent module on the one or more authorization agent devices, wherein the installing of the authorization agent module includes using the encrypted installation key as a product key to install the authorization agent module; generating a device-unique identifier (DUID) for each authorization agent device based on hardware characteristics of the respective authorization agent devices; sending the DUID and the encrypted installation key from at least one of the authorization agent devices to the licensing provider in order to obtain the requested license; receiving the requested license on said at least one of the authorization agent devices if the DUID and the encrypted installation key are validated by the licensing provider; and using the license on said at least one authorization agent device to authorize and enable the selected features of the software product on the end user electronic device.