TwinCAT 3.1 offers an option to manage TwinCAT software licenses directly in distributed systems via the IP67-protected EP6070-0060 EtherCAT Box module. The EP6070-0060 embodies the hardware license key in the modular EtherCAT I/O system. Data transfer takes place via EtherCAT. The EP6070-0060 license key module is equipped with a local data memory for easy handling of TwinCAT?3.1 licensing. This data memory is used to store the TwinCAT?3.1 license files, is not freely accessible and is managed by TwinCAT?3.1.