256 character penny wise license

One of the software products we use at work is ARIS. It is an business modeling suite of tools written in java. To activate it, you have to enter a 256 character license-key. Why would you need a license-key that has more possible combinations than there are atoms in the universe when you have only tens of thousands of licenses sold? A possible answer is that it is incredibly safe.

But is a 256 character license-key more safe than, let's say, a 10 character one? A 10 character key is something you might be able to remember, which with a 256 character key it is virtually impossible to do. So that means it is safer to use right? Well, a 10 character key can be typed into the license-key registration box by hand. For the 256 character key you'd need either a highly accomplished and very unimaginative touch typist, or use cut-and-paste. And when using cut-and-paste, it means that you've already stored the key electronically, so it is easily swapped with co-workers. This really diminishes the value of the license-key since you now need only one instead of many. It really feels penny wise and pound foolish.

Zaaf