GameShield License Models

Where-ever you’re selling video games, you need to ensure that you use a DRM system which will allow you to build once - and deploy through multiple distribution channels (which may include both off-the-shelf retailers and online portals).

The GameShield DRM Kit supports numerous license models. In fact, the system is designed to be so flexible, that developers and publishers can combine multiple license models together in arbitrary configurations to achieve a virtually limitless number of customized license models.

GameShield defines a "License Model" as the terms and conditions (or rights and restrictions) that you grant a user and/or customer of your game as defined by your business model. More specifically, "supported GameShield license models" refers to the available license model enforcement options that GameShield provides to your games for sales and distribution.

License Model Categories

There are two categories of license models:

IronWrap license models - the logic for these models are pre-defined and compiled directly into IronWrap protected applications and can be selected within the New Project Wizard.
Fundamental license models - these are conceptual models that are supported by GameShield, and are implemented by you by interfacing with the ClientProtector at run-time. Your application can enforce these models in its own code.

IronWrap License Models

The IronWrap system provides a number of pre-defined license models. These models will determine how your IronWrapped game will behave.

Node Locked Model - must have the application activated and copy protection released before running. This model would be commonly referred to as Full Purchase or a straightforward download. This model would be commonly referred to as Full Purchase or a straightforward download.
Trial Model 1 - The application will run for a duration measured in absolute days - regardless of how long the application executes. This model is your standard Trial model. This model is your standard Trial model.
Trial Model 2 - The application will run for a duration measured in hours and minutes of cumulative execution time - regardless of the absolute time that elapses between executions. This model would be commonly referred to as Try-Before-You-Buy (TBYB).
User-Defined - you design your own application model, which may be similar or the same to various fundamental license models listed below, or refinements of IronWrap license models.
Always Execute - The application run with no restrictions with all the protection capabilities of the ClientProtector. However, the license file must be found and successfully parsed. You may wish to use this "model" if you are using the Hybrid method and want to have most of the license enforcement logic inside your application.
Bypass - Strictly speaking, this is not a model at all. It only uses the features found under the IronWrapping tab. It will not reference any license file. You may wish to use this "model" if you are using the Hybrid method and want to have absolutely all the license enforcement logic inside your application, or you simply wish to protect the data itself.
More - because of the plug-in architecture of the GameShield DRM Kit, it can be easily extended with new license models.
We plan to extend the selection of IronWrap License Models pre-configurations in future product upgrades.

Fundamental License Models

Below, you will see a number of the fundamental license models that are supported by GameShield. Keep in mind that these fundamentals can be combined in numerous ways to create the exact model your business requires.

Copy Protected (Node-locked) Licenses - This model allows you to lock a license tightly to an individual machine based on its FingerPrint.
Seat Based (Bulk) Licenses - This model allows you to deliver a "token of ownership" of your software which represents an arbitrary number of activations (seats).
Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) Licenses - This model allows you to deliver a "token of ownership" to your software (a Serial Number) which can be physically packaged in a box for retail sale.
Time Limited Trial Licenses - This model allows you to deliver a time limited trial version of your software that expires at some arbitrary point in time after the user first runs the software. When expired, your software can either stop functioning completely or change to some other model.
Absolute Expiration Licenses - This model allows you to deliver a time limited trial version of your software that expires at some absolute point in time (regardless of when the user first runs the software). When expired, your software can either stop functioning completely or change to some other model.
Demo Licenses - This model allows you to deliver a feature limited version of your software.
Periodic Expiration (Leased) Licenses - This model allows you to deliver a version of your software that repeatedly expires after some arbitrary number of days, weeks or months has passed. Customers must repeatedly re-activate in order to continue using your software.
Scalar (Edition Based) Licenses - This model allows you to deliver a single deployment of your software that can "behave" in one of several different "modes" or "editions". The editions are normally "scalar" because one edition has all the features of the edition before it - plus some.
Pay-Per-Feature Licenses - This model allows you to deliver software for which a user must individually pay for features. "Features" can be as simple as the functionality behind a button click or the ability to dynamically load a binary module. In this model features are completely independent from one another and can be individually purchased and activated or treated as a group.
Pay-Per-Use (of a feature) Licenses - This model is an extension of the above Pay-Per-Feature model and allows you to deliver software for which a user must individually pay for each use of a feature. Again, features can be as simple as the functionality behind a button click or the ability to dynamically load a binary module. In this model features are completely independent from one another and the uses for each of them can be individually purchased and activated.
Pay-Per-Use (by execution) Licenses - This model allows you to deliver software for which the user must pay every time they execute it.
Combination Licenses - All of the above models can be combined in a myriad of ways to achieve a huge number of precise models to suit your particular business needs.

The free trial version of the GameShield System contains several example programs that demonstrate the various license models.