{{Short description|Hardware security feature}} {{More citations needed|date=May 2022}} 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>{{Cite web |last=Herkewitz |first=William |date=2020-05-03 |title=Cracking the Chip: How Hacking the NES Made It Even Better |url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/gaming/a32152013/nes10-chip-nintendo/ |access-date=2022-05-30 |website=Popular Mechanics |language=en-US}}</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>{{Cite web |date=2022-01-10 |title=Printer Cartridge Debacle Forces Canon to Tell Users How to Break DRM |url=https://gizmodo.com/printer-cartridge-debacle-forces-canon-to-tell-customer-1848332901 |access-date=2022-05-30 |website=Gizmodo |language=en-us}}</ref>
== See also == * 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
==References== {{Reflist}}
Category:Video game hardware Category:Hardware restrictions
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