Validating registration can be key to successful license compliance

Although some users view the "register your software?" option provided by some applications as an annoyance, doing so can avoid possible license compliance issues in the future, PC Magazine reported this week.

A reader shared the story of losing numerous applications in a system crash. After the computer was restored, the reader discovered that an anti-piracy feature had caused two important programs to stop working, as it recognized his updated PC as a different machine. As an independent worker who needed many of these applications for his own testing purposes, there was no IT department purchasing record in the license management system.

Luckily, however, the reader told PC Magazine that, because he registered every piece of software purchased, there was a separate record of the purchase under his own email address, allowing him to get back up and running.

Increasingly, companies are turning to stricter license management requirements and digital rights management features to protect their intellectual property. However, these have proven highly unpopular with users, who view them as intrusive.