How to protect ultra-valuable search SPL "secret sauce" when selling service/product?

[woodcock]

I have been asked by a client who has a very profitable service whose entire value is in a very painstakingly crafted and highly complex search inside of a dashboard , how can/should he copy protect this SPL. I am unsure how to answer him. I am tempted to say Don't bother, just trust your contract and your client. It is not so much that the risk is that any single client would take the IP for himself, but rather that somebody would unwittingly share it and release it to the world. I have considered:
0: "Do Nothing".
1: "Close the door": Move the SPL to a scheduled search that writes to a lookup, and have the dashboard load the lookup.
2: "Lock the door": Move the SPL (or bits) to one or more custom search commands.
3: "Put up a fence": Do the above, but have the python call a compiled binary to do some of the work.

[randy_moore]

I don't have an answer, just some commentary

"...very profitable service whose entire value is in a very painstakingly crafted and highly complex search inside of a dashboard..."

That's a ticking time bomb for that company right there if the SPL ever made it into the world.
I would do #3, since it is so valuable to your customer.