Creator Guide¶
Everything you need to set up, manage, and protect your product licenses on CG Lounge.
Enable Licensing¶
Go to your product page in the creator dashboard and toggle licensing on:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Your Product Name [Edit] │
│ ───────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ Licensing │
│ ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Enable license protection [ ON ] ● │ │
│ │ │ │
│ │ License type: [Per-Machine ▼] │ │
│ │ Machine limit: [ 3 ▼] │ │
│ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Once enabled, every purchase generates a license key automatically. Existing purchases are not retroactively licensed.
Choose License Type¶
| Type | How it works | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Per-Machine | One activation per machine slot. User deactivates to move. | Plugins, standalone tools |
| Floating | N concurrent sessions. Any machine can check out a seat. | Studio pipelines, shared workstations |
| Site | Unlimited machines, one organization. No activation required per machine. | Enterprise site deals |
Set Machine Limits¶
Per-machine licenses require a machine limit. Choose based on your tier:
| Tier | Recommended limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Indie | 1-2 | Home + laptop |
| Studio | 3-5 | Small team or render farm + workstation |
| Enterprise | 10-25 | Department-wide use |
| Site | Unlimited | No per-machine tracking |
You can change the limit per variant. A "Studio" variant can have limit 5 while "Indie" has limit 2.
Product Variations¶
Variants let you sell multiple tiers of the same product with different prices, machine limits, and downloadable files.
Creating a variant¶
From your product page, open Variants and click Add Variant:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Variants [+ Add] │
│ ───────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Name: [ Indie ] │ │
│ │ Price: [ $29 ] │ │
│ │ Machine limit:[ 2 ] │ │
│ │ Duration: [ Perpetual ▼ ] │ │
│ │ Files: [ + Attach files ] │ │
│ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Recommended tier structure¶
| Variant | Price range | Machine limit | Files |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indie | $25-50 | 2 | Full tool |
| Studio | $80-150 | 5 | Full tool + pipeline docs |
| Enterprise | $300-600 | 25 | Full tool + priority support |
| Site | Custom | Unlimited | Full tool + onboarding call |
Different files per tier¶
You can attach different download archives to each variant. This lets you ship a watermarked or limited version with Indie while Studio gets the full pipeline-ready package.
Managing Licenses¶
License Control Center¶
Access it by clicking the key icon on your product card in the dashboard:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Dashboard │
│ │
│ ┌──────────────────────┐ ┌──────────────────────┐ │
│ │ Your Tool v2 │ │ Other Product │ │
│ │ ────────────────── │ │ ────────────────── │ │
│ │ Sales: 142 │ │ Sales: 38 │ │
│ │ Active licenses: 89 │ │ Active licenses: 21 │ │
│ │ │ │ │ │
│ │ [🔑] [✏️] [📊] │ │ [🔑] [✏️] [📊] │ │
│ └──────────────────────┘ └──────────────────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Stats bar¶
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Your Tool v2 - Licenses │
│ ───────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ Total: 142 Active: 89 Revoked: 4 Expired: 11 │
│ Flagged: 2 Trial: 8 Chargebacks: 1 │
│ ───────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ [Search by key or email... ] [Filter ▼] │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Search and filter¶
| Filter | Shows |
|---|---|
| All | Every license |
| Active | Currently valid, at least one activation |
| Revoked | Manually revoked or chargeback-revoked |
| Flagged | Threat detection triggered |
| Trial | Trial codes |
| Expired | Past expiry date |
License detail view¶
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ License: LIC-XXXX-YYYY-ZZZZ │
│ ───────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ Customer: user@example.com │
│ Variant: Studio │
│ Purchased: 2025-11-14 │
│ Expires: Never (perpetual) │
│ Status: Active │
│ ───────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ Machines (3/5) │
│ ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ mac-arm64-xxxx Last seen: 2026-04-08 [×] │ │
│ │ win-x64-yyyy Last seen: 2026-04-01 [×] │ │
│ │ win-x64-zzzz Last seen: 2026-03-15 [×] │ │
│ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ [Revoke License] [Reset All Machines] │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Revoke a license¶
Click Revoke License on the detail view. The customer's next online check will return LicenseRevokedError. Offline cached tokens remain valid until expiry.
Use revoke for: chargebacks, fraud, terms violations.
Reinstate a license¶
Revoked licenses can be reinstated from the same detail view. This is immediate.
Trial Codes¶
Trial codes are time-limited license keys you create manually and distribute for evaluation.
Creating trial codes¶
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Create Trial Codes │
│ ───────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ Duration: [ 14 days ▼] │
│ Machine limit: [ 1 ] │
│ Quantity: [ 5 ] │
│ Note: [ SiggraphNA 2026 ] │
│ │
│ [Generate] │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Trial strategies¶
| Strategy | Duration | Machine limit | Use case |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | 14 days | 1 | General evaluation |
| Extended | 30 days | 2 | Review copies, influencers |
| Event | 3 days | 1 | Conference demos, workshops |
| Press | 60 days | 1 | Media reviews |
Managing trial codes¶
The trial list shows each code, its status, activation date (if used), and expiry. You can revoke individual trial codes before they expire.
Discount Coupons¶
Coupons apply a percentage or fixed discount to a purchase. Create them under Promotions on your product page.
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Code | Case-insensitive string, e.g. LAUNCH20 |
| Type | Percentage off or fixed amount |
| Value | 20 (percent) or 10.00 (fixed) |
| Limit | Max total redemptions (blank = unlimited) |
| Expires | Optional expiry date |
| Variants | Apply to all variants or specific ones |
Piracy and Threat Detection¶
The license server automatically flags suspicious patterns. You review and resolve them.
Threat types¶
| Threat | How it's detected | Severity |
|---|---|---|
| Geo spread | Same key activated from 3+ countries in 7 days | High |
| Machine churn | Same key activating many different machines rapidly | High |
| Shared key | Activation velocity far exceeds machine limit | Critical |
| Proxy/VPN abuse | Activation from known datacenter IPs | Medium |
| Reactivation loop | Repeated activate/deactivate cycling | Medium |
Threat levels¶
| Level | Action taken | Your response |
|---|---|---|
| Info | Logged, no action | Review periodically |
| Warning | Flagged in dashboard | Investigate, may be false positive |
| High | License auto-suspended, customer notified | Review and resolve |
| Critical | License auto-revoked | Review and confirm or reinstate |
Reviewing flagged licenses¶
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Flagged License: LIC-XXXX-YYYY-ZZZZ │
│ ───────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ Threat: GEO_SPREAD (High) │
│ Details: Activated from DE, US, BR within 48 hours │
│ │
│ Activation log: │
│ 2026-04-06 09:12 win-x64-aaa DE Frankfurt │
│ 2026-04-07 14:33 mac-arm-bbb US Chicago │
│ 2026-04-08 02:11 win-x64-ccc BR Sao Paulo │
│ │
│ [Revoke] [Clear Flag - False Positive] [Contact] │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Resolving false positives¶
False positives happen. Common causes:
- User travels internationally with a laptop.
- User has a legitimate home/studio split across countries (remote work).
- VPN use for unrelated reasons.
Steps:
- Check if the machine IDs overlap (same machine in multiple countries = VPN).
- Check if all machines are still under the limit.
- If legitimate: click Clear Flag - False Positive and optionally contact the customer.
- If suspicious: click Contact to ask the customer for an explanation before revoking.
Customer Experience¶
After purchase¶
The customer receives an email with their license key and a link to cglounge.com/library. From the library, they can:
- See all purchased products and keys.
- Download files for each variant.
- View how many machines are activated.
- Deactivate a machine remotely.
- Redeem trial codes.
Library view (customer)¶
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ My Library │
│ ───────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ Your Tool v2 [Studio] │
│ Key: LIC-XXXX-YYYY-ZZZZ [Copy] [↓] │
│ Machines: 3/5 Activated: 2025-11-14 │
│ ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ mac-arm64-xxxx Last seen: today [×] │ │
│ │ win-x64-yyyy Last seen: 7 days ago [×] │ │
│ │ win-x64-zzzz Last seen: 24 days ago [×] │ │
│ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Trial code redemption¶
Customers enter a trial code in the library:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Redeem a code │
│ ───────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ [ Enter trial or gift code... ] [Redeem] │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
After redemption, the trial license appears in their library just like a purchased license.
FAQ¶
Can I change machine limits after launch? Yes. Changing a variant's machine limit applies to new purchases. Existing licenses keep their original limit unless you manually update them via the API.
What happens on a chargeback?
The license is automatically suspended within minutes via the payment webhook. The customer's next online check returns LicenseRevokedError.
Can I offer a lifetime license and a subscription?
Yes. Create two variants: one perpetual, one with a durationDays set (recurring). They can coexist on the same product.
Do trial licenses count toward my revenue stats? No. Trial codes are tracked separately under the Trials section.
Can a customer transfer a license to a new computer? Yes. They deactivate the old machine from the library and activate on the new one. No intervention needed from you.
What if a customer loses access to their email? They can recover their account via cglounge.com support. License keys are tied to the account, not just the email.