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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.^[1] 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.^[2]

• 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