1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of software security and further relates to systems and methods for restricting any unauthorized use of software.
2. Description of the Related Art
It has become commonplace to sell computers including personal computers (PCs) with software. It has also become commonplace for the software to be provided on removable media such as compact disks (CD-ROM, compact disk-read only memory), zip disks, or floppy disks. The purchaser of the PC then loads the software onto the PC by placing the removable media into an appropriate removable media reader in the PC. The removable media reader then reads the software and the software is transferred to the memory of the PC.
Consumer software is typically licensed for use on a single computer. However, it is difficult to control the use of the software once it is in the possession of the consumer. Therefore, there is a need for systems and methods which prevent the unauthorized access or use of software and data on removable media.