Licensing authentication via intermediary using time and proximity

An application client receives an open window event from an intermediary device before transmitting a licensing request to the intermediary device. The intermediary device transmits the licensing request to an authentication server, which responds by transmitting a message indicating approval status of the request back to the intermediary device. If the intermediary device is not within a predetermined proximity of the application client, the intermediary can wait predetermined amount of time for the intermediary device to return to the predetermined proximity of the application client before transmitting a second message indicating approval status to the application client. The application client receives, from the intermediary device, a licensing response reporting the approval status indicated by the message from the authentication server.