Abstract: A license restriction management system having wrapper programs and agents as appropriate to manage launches of application programs in distributed systems of computers having a multiplicity of different operating systems. The system includes passive monitoring where only data regarding launches is collected or active monitoring where the number of copies of licensed programs in execution at any particular time is actively controlled by the agents and wrappers in cooperation with a license restriction management process. Configuration of the agents to use TCP or UDP communication protocols and to do automatic denial of unauthorized applications based upon either locally kept or centrally kept lists of authorized applications.