To provide a license control method and a control system capable of controlling use restriction and a use term of a software program in an IC card loaded with application software.

An application program of a control object is provided with the function for internally holding a proper serial number and an original collating key corresponding to the serial number, validating only a command for reading out the serial number and an activating command for validating the whole functions at the beginning, putting the other function in an unusable state, and validating the whole functions of the program only when justice of the collating key can be verified inside the application program when a user commands by adding the collating key related to the serial number to the activating command for attaining the purpose.