Java based enterprise products that are not open source have a big issue with Intellectual Property Rights license protection. The relative ease of byte code decompilation makes it easy to copy the product with the license protection disabled. One can measure the magnitude of the problem just by counting the number of products that claim to have the solution. Dongle, code encryption or machine signatures are popular techniques for license security. However, there is always that weak link, that single validation method, returning a Boolean that checks the existence of the license. A friend of mine once suggested that instead of striving to be perfect, it’s better to invest just enough to avoid being the easiest target. It’s easy to spot this strategy in nature. If you happen to be a wilder beast, you don’t have to be the fastest runner to survive. Just make sure there are a few others slower then you. If you are a zebra, just go stand next to the wilder beast. When I park next to a Lexus, I don’t bother to lock the doors. The way to implement this strategy over software licensing.. (read more) Original post from giladmanor.com JavaSecurity