Launched in 1992 as Uniloc Pty Ltd., the company made its name thanks to an antipiracy software scheme invented by Australian engineer Ric Richardson. His innovation allowed companies to distribute software to users who unlocked it via a unique Uniloc-provided vendor code entered directly into the software.
Uniloc picked up IBM Corp. as a customer in 1993; three years later, the company was awarded its core U.S. patent, No. 5,490,216. Microsoft soon began expressing interest in using Uniloc’s technology to protect its software. Attracting that kind of attention cuts two ways.
