Template:More citations needed In a general sense, a lockout chip is a chip within an electronic device to prevent other manufacturers from using a company's device to perform certain functions.
A notable example is the lockout chip found in Nintendo's Nintendo Entertainment System (called 10NES), designed to prevent "unlicensed" manufacturers from creating games for the console.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The presence of the chip forced unlicensed companies to raise the price of each cartridge (due to a bypass chip having to be added to the cartridge), and allowed Nintendo a foothold for a lawsuit.
Lockout functions are commonly used in printers to prevent the use of third-party ink or toner cartridges.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
See alsoEdit
- Regional lockout
- CIC (Nintendo)
- Vendor lock-in
- Software protection dongle
- Lexmark International, Inc. v. Static Control Components, Inc., a U.S. Sixth Circuit case rejecting copyright-related claims in lockout chips