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Re: Protecting intellectual property



PureBytes Links

Trading Reference Links

You _could_ embed one or more pieces of the
trading system algorithm in hardware.  Attach
this hardware to the user's computer by means
of a USB or FireWire port and call it a "Dongle".

Notice that the purpose of this hardware is
NOT to provide a yes/no answer to the question
"Is this a valid user?"

Instead, the hardware implements some part of
the trading strategy itself.  In order to run
your trading system, someone must have your
software AND your hardware.  Without the hardware,
your trading system computes utter rubbish.

For marketing purposes you can call the dongle
a Hardware Accelerator.

To reverse engineer your trading strategy,
The Bad Guy must reverse engineer your software
code AND reverse engineer your hardware dongle.
Twice as hard, requiring twice as many skills.

Have a look in hobbyist electronics mags
(Circuit Cellar, Nuts and Volts, etc) for
hobbyist embedded system kits that have USB
built in.  They are remarkably Cheep!

Although for high end customers paying the big
bucks, a PCI card that plugs into the motherboard
(of a non-notebook machine) is ever so much
more intimidating and "fierce".  Especially
if you put a few red and green winkie
blinky LEDs on the back panel with inscrutable
labels like "Elliptic" or "Convergence" or
"FIFO" or "Dead Start".

Mark Johnson