What is the state of product activation technology in the industry?

Several product activation systems are commercially available, with the basic capability described above. ISV’s rarely develop their own. Some systems provide mechanisms that enable end users to return their license and reacquire it on a new machine in self-service mode. Some systems enable end users to obtain their licenses in offline mode via phone or web browser. Few product activation systems provide capabilities such as leased licensing, the ability to exchange large amounts of licensing information between the license server and the application, or the ability to implement revocable licensing. Orion is an example of a commercial solution that provides extended capabilities, as described below.