SEMI to license server certification protocol to help combat software piracy

With piracy costing the software industry an estimated billions of dollars annually, the protocol will help prevent unauthorised access to licensed software products by assigning a unique identifier to each customer license server in order to assure software access can only be granted by authorised servers.

The protocol joint development programme was led by the Electronic System Design Alliance (ESD Alliance), a SEMI Technology Community, with Cadence Design Systems, Siemens EDA, and Synopsys all participating in the development effort.

The protocol was reviewed and approved by an independent group of semiconductor companies that rely on EDA tools in their business operations.

While several large EDA companies are now implementing the protocol, it is not EDA-specific and can be used in any license management system for high-value software products. The protocol has also been introduced to the SEMI Traceability Standards Technical Committee for development into a SEMI Standard.

The ESD Alliance will provide an overview of the protocol in a webinar on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 10:00am–11:30am PDT. Registration is free.

“The server certification protocol underscores the industry’s commitment to prevent unauthorised software usage, a problem that impacts both end users and software providers,” said Bob Smith, Executive Director of the ESD Alliance.