Protection against piracy and manipulation

Wibu-Systems, a global leader in software protection and licensing solutions, is helping Japanese company PlantStream Inc. protect its next-generation 3D CAD software and accelerate its international expansion. Leveraging CodeMeter technology, PlantStream protects its intellectual property, simplifies licensing, and ensures seamless use for engineering teams around the world.

PlantStream was founded in 2020 as a joint venture between Arent Inc. and Chiyoda Corporation and has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Arent since 2025. The company's 3D CAD system for factory planning features automated piping routing capable of processing approximately 1,000 pipes per minute, accelerating feasibility studies and front-end engineering designs by up to 75%. Due to its ability to streamline workflows and support real-time collaboration, the software has quickly attracted attention from the oil and gas, chemical processing, and pharmaceutical industries.

As PlantStream expanded globally, it faced the dual challenges of protecting intellectual property from unauthorized use and distributing licenses across organizations with differing IT policies. Some customers balked at installing local license servers, while others required offline access due to limited internet connectivity.

To overcome this challenge, PlantStream integrated Wibu-Systems' CodeMeter suite. AxProtector .NET encrypts the application written in C#, preventing reverse engineering and tampering. A hybrid licensing model combines CmCloud, delivered via CodeMeter License Central and WebDepot for instant activation, with CmActLicense for file-based, offline-friendly use. CodeMeter License Reporting provides daily insights into feature usage, while integration with PlantStream's ERP and CRM systems automates renewals, invoicing, and revenue recognition.

Kazuhisa Horiat, Customer Success Manager at PlantStream, notes: "As PlantStream is a 3D CAD software with automatic routing, the expectations of national and international planners were high. Thanks to CodeMeter's cloud licensing, we were able to see which features and to what extent each potential customer was using them during the evaluation. This allowed us to extend demo periods, issue additional licenses, and optimize pre-sales. In the future, we plan to use CmCloud's caching mechanism to maintain license usage even during offline phases, thus ensuring smooth workflows without an internet connection."

From Wibu-Systems' perspective, the collaboration demonstrates the importance of adapting licensing models to different industrial requirements. Tadashi Shiraki, Country Manager at WIBU-SYSTEMS K.K., said: "We immediately recognized PlantStream's innovative potential and the need for a secure and flexible licensing model to support its global market launch. By combining strong software protection with hybrid licensing and automated reporting, our solutions will help PlantStream expand securely worldwide while protecting its intellectual property.

This collaboration underscores PlantStream's pioneering role in plant engineering and reinforces Wibu-Systems' commitment to providing secure and flexible licensing solutions for the industrial automation environment.