G06F 21/12
Protecting executable software
G06F21/12 (Protecting executable software) appears on 3,670 US grants and 4,206 published applications in this corpus.
Search patents in G06F- Granted patents
- 3,670
- Published applications
- 4,206
- Assignees
- 1,373
- Inventors
- 7,206
- Latest grant
- 6 Oct 2026
Filings by year
| Year | Granted patents | Published applications |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 1 | 0 |
| 1979 | 1 | 0 |
| 1980 | 0 | 0 |
| 1981 | 3 | 0 |
| 1982 | 1 | 0 |
| 1983 | 0 | 0 |
| 1984 | 5 | 0 |
| 1985 | 4 | 0 |
| 1986 | 7 | 0 |
| 1987 | 9 | 0 |
| 1988 | 5 | 0 |
| 1989 | 9 | 0 |
| 1990 | 5 | 0 |
| 1991 | 8 | 0 |
| 1992 | 10 | 0 |
| 1993 | 8 | 0 |
| 1994 | 10 | 0 |
| 1995 | 9 | 0 |
| 1996 | 8 | 0 |
| 1997 | 14 | 0 |
| 1998 | 34 | 0 |
| 1999 | 27 | 0 |
| 2000 | 28 | 0 |
| 2001 | 29 | 21 |
| 2002 | 24 | 78 |
| 2003 | 23 | 77 |
| 2004 | 36 | 110 |
| 2005 | 27 | 121 |
| 2006 | 40 | 141 |
| 2007 | 59 | 112 |
| 2008 | 68 | 126 |
| 2009 | 83 | 135 |
| 2010 | 84 | 113 |
| 2011 | 76 | 116 |
| 2012 | 96 | 140 |
| 2013 | 151 | 203 |
| 2014 | 205 | 188 |
| 2015 | 247 | 220 |
| 2016 | 213 | 230 |
| 2017 | 218 | 226 |
| 2018 | 183 | 205 |
| 2019 | 194 | 255 |
| 2020 | 233 | 270 |
| 2021 | 230 | 257 |
| 2022 | 250 | 251 |
| 2023 | 229 | 174 |
| 2024 | 181 | 171 |
| 2025 | 176 | 180 |
| 2026 | 109 | 86 |
By publication year. Applications have been published since 2001. 2026 runs to 8 Oct.
Subgroups
Granted patents
Recent patents
- Accelerating in-browser tasks of an unprivileged web application6 Oct 2026US 12,754,980 B2Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
- Secret multiple repetition calculation apparatus, method and program6 Oct 2026US 12,755,058 B2NTT, Inc.
- Blockchain-based system and method for publishing an operating system29 Sep 2026US 12,748,825 B2nChain Licensing AG
- Systems and methods for interpreter based application cybersecurity29 Sep 2026US 12,748,840 B2Seraphic Algorithms Ltd.
- Secure and zero knowledge data sharing for cloud applications29 Sep 2026US 12,750,228 B2Masimo Corporation
- System, method and computer program product for biometric support for a virtual mobile device platform8 Oct 2026US 2026/0310767 A1Hypori, Inc.
- Systems and methods for controlling access to media assets using two-factor authentication8 Oct 2026US 2026/0313193 A1Adeia Guides Inc.
- Tamper-Resistant Code Obfuscation with Control Flow Breaking1 Oct 2026US 2026/0300450 A1Zimperium, Inc.
- Information processing apparatus, service providing system, and method to modify a license based on usage1 Oct 2026US 2026/0300526 A1Ricoh Company, Ltd.
- Method and System for Securing SCADA and Industrial Control Software through Secure-Write Operations24 Sep 2026US 2026/0288914 A1
Most cited
By later US patents
- Filters in license management system780US 5,260,999 ADigital Equipment Corporation · 1993
- Apparatus and method for licensing software on a network of computers770US 5,138,712 ASun Microsystems, Inc. · 1992
- Management interface for license management system757US 5,204,897 ADigital Equipment Corporation · 1993
- Software distribution system706US 4,999,806 A1991
- Secure system for activating personal computer software at remote locations673US 5,222,134 ATau Systems Corporation · 1993