Software Copyright Protection

[Ollie]

I apologise up front, because I realise this may not be the right forum to ask this question, but you guys are the only programmers/developers I know.

What methods can one employ to protect your software from being copied to people that haven't bought it. Eg. serial numbers or activation codes etc.?

[Antonio Linares]

Ollie,

There are software and hardware solutions.

There are many choices if you use a software based protection. You can check the harddisk serial number, the network card serial number, and create a small key file, so if the application is copied to another computer it will not work. You can store the info on a file, on the registry, on a hidden (somewhere) fake DLL, etc.

[Ollie]

Can you guide me how to check the harddisk serial number, the network card serial number etc.?

[Enrico Maria Giordano]

NSERIALHD()
GETNETCARDID()

EMG

[R.F.]

What goes in by software, goes out by software.

For me, the only realiable method for copy protection are hardlock keys to be attached in the USB or in the pararell port.

My choice would be the Sentinel Super Pro hard keys, they also have a native driver for (x)Harbour.

[Enrico Maria Giordano]

I don't think that solves the problem. Even an hardware protection key must be read by the software and therefore...

EMG

[ShumingWang]

Encrypt customer's name into a key string , save to somewhere as a file or in databse, for much more bills must printer customer's name .
On login time, compare stored customer name and encrypt key string .

Shuming Wang

[Ollie]

Please exlain this part further:

for much more bills must printer customer's name .

[Antonio Linares]

Ollie,

I guess he means that when the application prints invoices, then it uses the customer name, and they can not use someone else name.