Yingtong Li

This article explores a video game software licensing system from the early 2000s used in a number of video games. The system operated on the basis of ‘electronic licences’, with licensing data directly exchanged between client and server. Despite promises to purchasers of lifetime licences,… »

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Reverse engineering software licensing from early-2000s abandonware

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This series concerns a software licensing system used in a proprietary software application from circa 2004. The software was available in an unregistered trial mode with limited functionality. A free licence could be obtained by registering online with the software vendor. The software became abandonware circa 2009…