The "RAMBO-1," a version of Tengen's Rabbit lockout chip

10NES was the authentication code for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) video game console. The system consisted of two parts - a computer chip in the NES that would check the cartridge in the system for authentication, and a chip in the cartridge that would give the 10NES code upon demand. If the cartridge did not provide the authentication, then the system would not boot up. The 10NES was patented; only Nintendo could produce the authorization chips, and there existed other policies that prevented other companies from producing games for the NES. Image File history File links The Rabbit, a reverse engineered clone of Nintendos 10NES lockout chip, designed by Tengen. ... Image File history File links The Rabbit, a reverse engineered clone of Nintendos 10NES lockout chip, designed by Tengen. ... Tengen was a video game publisher and developer that was created after the video game crash of 1983-1984 by Atari Games. ... In a general sense, a lock-out chip is a chip within an electronic device to prevent other manufacturers from using a companys device to perform certain functions. ... The Nintendo Entertainment System (North American version). ... The Nintendo GameCube is an example of a video game console. ... An integrated circuit (IC) is a thin chip consisting of at least two interconnected semiconductor devices, mainly transistors, as well as passive components like resistors. ... A BOOTING is any exercise of the verb to boot. ... A patent is a set of exclusive rights granted by a state to a person for a fixed period of time in exchange for the regulated, public disclosure of certain details of a device, method, process or substance (known as an invention) which is new, inventive and useful. ... Nintendo (Japanese: 任天堂; TSE: NTDOY) was originally founded in 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi to produce handmade hanafuda cards, for use in a Japanese playing card game of the same name. ...

Various companies found ways to bypass the authorization chip. Most unlicensed companies created circuits that used a voltage spike to knock the authentication unit in the NES offline. Tengen took a different tack: the corporation obtained a description of the lockout chip from the United States Copyright Office by falsely claiming that it was required to defend against present infringement claims in a legal case. Tengen then used these documents to design their Rabbit chip, which duplicated the function of the 10NES. Nintendo sued Tengen for these actions, and won. A few unlicensed games released in Europe and Australia came in the form of a dongle that would be connected to a licensed cartridge, in order to use that cartridge's 10NES lockout chip for authentication. Tengen was a video game publisher and developer that was created after the video game crash of 1983-1984 by Atari Games. ... The United States Copyright Office, a division of the Library of Congress, is the official US government body that maintains records of copyright registration in the United States. ... In the computer industry, the word dongle was used for many years to primarily refer to a small hardware device that connects to a computer and acts as an authentication key for a particular piece of software. ...

References

• Kevin Horton. "The Infamous Lockout Chip." Accessed on January 5, 2005.
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit. "Atari Games Corp. v. Nintendo of America Inc.." Digital Law Online. Accessed on March 30, 2005.

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