12. A computer program product for use at a computer system, the computer program product for implementing a method of delegating security credentials within a generic security framework, wherein the generic security framework abstracts cryptographic technologies and license formats, the computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable storage media having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed at a processor, cause the computer system to perform the method, including the following: receive a first license from a first party wherein the first license is formatted with a first license format associated with the first party; determine that the first license is to be delegated to a second party; identify a second license format required by the second party from a modular security policy, wherein the modular security policy: establishes security rules and procedures of the generic security framework; implements a security policy of the generic security framework with one or more protocols and transports; and describes security aspects, including properties, capabilities, requirements and interaction semantics, of a plurality of modular security components which define security rights corresponding to use of the first license by the first and second parties and which are written in a security policy language as selectable, deployable and combinable security modules and which enables the modular security components to be negotiated, partitioned and modified, rather than being hard-coded and which include: an admission component for mapping external credentials to internal credentials and for performing a re-issuance operation; a permission component for pre-fetching rights, capabilities and access control information; and a trust component for managing trust relationships and for specifying the extent to which a party is trusted; use the modular security policy to identify security rights corresponding to the use of the first license by the second party; re-issue the first license to the second party as a re-issued license; use the modular security policy to specify delegations and conditions for the use of the re-issued license by the second party; sign the re-issued license with the first license, naming the first party as an issuing authority; provide the re-issued license to the second party in the second license format, which is distinguished from the first license format; and provide the first license to the second party so that the second party can prove that the first party delegated the first license as the re-issued license and that the delegations in the re-issued license correctly correspond to the first license.
12. A computer program product for use at a computer system, the computer program product for implementing a method of delegating security credentials within a generic security framework, wherein the generic security framework abstracts cryptographic technologies and license formats, the computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable storage media having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that, when executed at a processor, cause the computer system to perform the method, including the following: receive a first license from a first party wherein the first license is formatted with a first license format associated with the first party; determine that the first license is to be delegated to a second party; identify a second license format required by the second party from a modular security policy, wherein the modular security policy: establishes security rules and procedures of the generic security framework; implements a security policy of the generic security framework with one or more protocols and transports; and describes security aspects, including properties, capabilities, requirements and interaction semantics, of a plurality of modular security components which define security rights corresponding to use of the first license by the first and second parties and which are written in a security policy language as selectable, deployable and combinable security modules and which enables the modular security components to be negotiated, partitioned and modified, rather than being hard-coded and which include: an admission component for mapping external credentials to internal credentials and for performing a re-issuance operation; a permission component for pre-fetching rights, capabilities and access control information; and a trust component for managing trust relationships and for specifying the extent to which a party is trusted; use the modular security policy to identify security rights corresponding to the use of the first license by the second party; re-issue the first license to the second party as a re-issued license; use the modular security policy to specify delegations and conditions for the use of the re-issued license by the second party; sign the re-issued license with the first license, naming the first party as an issuing authority; provide the re-issued license to the second party in the second license format, which is distinguished from the first license format; and provide the first license to the second party so that the second party can prove that the first party delegated the first license as the re-issued license and that the delegations in the re-issued license correctly correspond to the first license. 13. The computer program product of claim 12 , wherein the modular security policy identifies access rights of the security system.