InstallShield Activation Service

The InstallShield Activation Service is Macrovision’s anti-piracy service designed specifically to verify that your software has been legitimately licensed. It provides you with a quick, easy, and unobtrusive way to protect your software against casual piracy by limiting the number of times it can be activated.

The Try and Buy/Product Activation type of trialware in InstallShield requires the InstallShield Activation Service to enable end users to not only try, but also buy, your software in a very straightforward manner. This integrated, end-to-end solution is quick and easy to implement, requiring minimal administration and development effort.

InstallShield Activation Service Publisher Web Site

The InstallShield Activation Service Publisher Web Site is a Web-based tool used with the InstallShield Activation Service. It enables you and other people within your company to manage your licenses and other trialware data for Try and Buy/Product Activation. Your end users will never see this Web site.

Customer Support

Customer support employees primarily use the InstallShield Activation Service Publisher Web Site to assist end users with the offline activation of your products. They will also use this Web site to perform the following activities:

Manage serial numbers to protect against the misuse of your products.

Add to your licenses the serial numbers that end users will use to activate your product.

Limit the number of times each serial number may be activated, thereby allowing your customers to install your product on multiple machines, while also preventing abuse of the license.

Prevent any additional activations if abuse is suspected.

Generate reports to view the number of activations per serial number.

Monitor and record the number of times that end users attempt to activate additional copies of your product. This indicates the need for additional licenses and can guide direct sales.

Product Managers

Product managers use this Web site to run reports on the state of the product’s business. They also use this Web site to perform the following activities:

Run reports on the number of activations during a trial period.

Determine which products are popular from an activation standpoint.

Gather metrics on the success of a new product introduction or a time-based promotion.

Run many other reports based on their specific needs.

To learn more about the InstallShield Activation Service Publisher Web Site, including procedures for performing an offline activation and running reports, see the help library available at this Web site.