I have submitted a ticket, but I am also wondering how to prevent this from happening again.

I reformat a half dozen or more times a year to keep my PC clean and running smooth, so I will be doing it again

I test software for viruses.

And having an antivirus just makes it harder to scan files.

I reformat every 30-60 days and will keep doing so as long as I test the stuff

Don't send in another ticket till you get a reply. If you do you will keep moving to the bottom of the list. 

You said you bought WB a long time ago and this is the first you are running into this. You may need to explain to Statdock a bit better about what you are doing. They have the Deactivate in there for a reason to make sure people aren't sharing with all their friends for free. That is the reason I'm saying you should explain you usage needs to Stardock.

May also want to list the OS you are using.

Can't see how that would make any difference. Weather you deactivate before you reformat or not. You still have to activate after you install it again and each one would count towards whatever number it is before it won't let you do it again.