A computer participates in a system for licensing use in a metered fashion using individual licenses cryptographically linked to the computer and a particular service provider or underwriter. The computer may have a cryptographic unit, secure memory, sanction and metering functions as part of a secure execution environment for enabling metered operation and conformance to a security policy. Payment for licenses may be made through a payment system with licenses generated at a server with access to cryptographic functions for verification of requests, certificate/key pair generation, and signing licenses.