US 12,277,200 B2
Fail-safe software access licensing control on a per project basis without a priori knowledge of project details
Mathew V. Philip, Palo Alto, CA (US); Joseph R. Walston, Durham, NC (US); and Stylianos Diamantidis, Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Assigned to Synopsys, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA (US)
Filed by Synopsys, Inc., Mountain View, CA (US)
Filed on Jun. 3, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/832,204.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/197,144, filed on Jun. 4, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0391477 A1, Dec. 8, 2022
Int. Cl. G06F 21/12 (2013.01)
CPC G06F 21/121 (2013.01) 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method, comprising:
receiving a classifier trained using a first set of values for a set of features when a software is used on a first integrated circuit (IC) design, wherein at least one value in the first set of values for at least one feature in the set of features is extracted from first data of the first IC design;
receiving a request to use the software on a second IC design, wherein the second IC design includes second data on which the software is desired to be used;
extracting a second set of values for a set of features of the second IC design, wherein at least one value in the second set of values for at least one feature in the set of features is extracted from second data of the second IC design on which the software is used;
executing the classifier on a processor to classify the second IC design based on the second set of values;
in response to the classifier determining that the second IC design is the same as the first IC design, granting the request to use the software on the second IC design; and
in response to the classifier determining that the second IC design is not the same as the first IC design,
allowing the software to be used on the second IC design,
encrypting output of the software, and
forwarding a request to decrypt the output of the software to an arbiter.