A licensing attribute certificate enables a trusted computing base to enforce
access
to a computing resource by a computer application. The licensing attribute certificate
can contain enforcement data which limits the use of the computing resource. The
licensing attribute certificate can also contain information allowing for the tracking
of licensing data about the use of the computing resource. The use of a licensing
attribute certificate to enforce access to a computing resource can allow products
to be fielded which have their capability limited to a specific subset of functions.
The enforcement data, the licensing data, and the data limiting the application
to a specific subset of functions are cryptographically bound to the computing
resource using a licensing attribute certificate according to the invention. Prior
to allowing access to the computing resource by the computer application, a trusted
computing base strongly authenticates that usage via the licensing attribute certificate.
