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Use Case: Setting Up Licensing for a Streaming Service ​

This document illustrates how to set up and use Licensing for an imaginary streaming service similar to Netflix, called LicensingFlix. The guide will demonstrate how to configure products, create licenses, and validate them to manage user access.

Overview ​

LicensingFlix plans to offer a subscription-based service with multiple tiers, such as Basic, Standard, and Premium. Each tier includes specific entitlements, like the number of screens allowed, video quality, and offline download access. Using Licensing, LicensingFlix can:

  1. Define products (the streaming service).
  2. Create entitlements (features that you want to grant users permission to access/track their usage).
  3. Set up plans (Basic, Standard, Premium).
  4. Add entitlements to each plan.
  5. Manage licenses for users.

Step 1: Define the Product ​

The first step is to describe the streaming service as a product in Licensing.

Actions: ​

  • Log in to your Licensing account.
  • Navigate to the Products section and create a new product named LicensingFlix.

Alternatively, you can use the API.

Step 2: Create Entitlements ​

Define the features available for the subscription tiers globally.

Example Entitlements: ​

  • Number of Screens: Specifies the maximum number of simultaneous screens allowed. Screens are a good example of an entitlement that can have activations (through ticking the related activations checkbox during the entitlement creation or through the API). Activations are entries associated with the entitlement, each containing a descriptive string field (name) to identify what or who is using that instance of the entitlement. For example, activations for screens could be labeled as "Home", "Office", "Mine", or "Maria's", providing flexibility and clarity in managing screen usage.
  • Quality: Defines the video quality (SD, HD, Ultra HD).
  • Time Streamed: Tracks the total hours of streaming allowed.
  • Offline Downloads: Grants the ability to download content for offline viewing.

Actions: ​

Step 3: Set Up Plans ​

Create subscription plans that include specific entitlements.

Example Plans: ​

  • Basic Plan: Includes Number of Screens (threshold: 1), Quality (SD), Time Streamed (limited hours), and no Offline Downloads.
  • Standard Plan: Includes Number of Screens (threshold: 2), Quality (HD), Time Streamed (extended hours), and Offline Downloads.
  • Premium Plan: Includes Number of Screens (threshold: 4), Quality (4K), Time Streamed (unlimited), and Offline Downloads.

Actions: ​

  • In the Licensing app, navigate to the Plans section of your LicensingFlix product (in the Products sections) and create these plans.
  • Assign the entitlements to each plan and configure the threshold values where applicable (e.g., higher screen counts for Premium, 1080p for HD quality or 2160p of 4K quality etc.).

Alternatively, you can use the API to create the plans and to assign entitlements to each one.

Step 4: Create Licenses ​

Create licenses for users to grant access to specific plans and their associated entitlements.

Actions: ​

  • Go to the Licenses section in the Licensing app.
  • Issue a license for a customer and assign them a plan, e.g., Premium Plan.

Of course, you can use the API.

Step 5: Validate Licenses ​

Ensure that a license is valid before granting access to LicensingFlix features.

Actions: ​

Use the response to tailor the user’s access.

Step 6: Track Usage ​

Monitor license usage to ensure compliance and provide insights.

Example: ​

Track how many screens a user is using or how many downloads they’ve made.

Actions ​

  • Go to the Logs section of the License you issues and want to inspect.
  • Choose which entitlements you want to monitor
  • Inspect the activity logs of this entitlement

Alternatively, you can use the API.

By following these steps, using Licensing you can can effectively manage user access, ensure proper license validation, and track feature usage seamlessly for your LicensingFlix app.