1. A method for utilizing a mangled installation key for invalidating an illegally produced key in a computer license validation system, the method comprising the steps of: obtaining an installation key; selecting a subset of key obfuscation algorithms from a master set of key obfuscation algorithms based on a combination code; generating a combination key by processing seed data with the subset of key obfuscation algorithms; and generating the mangled installation key by processing the installation key with the combination key, wherein the mangled installation key is different than the illegally produced key, and wherein the method is computer-implemented.