This reminds me of the copy protection on the original Gameboy.
So Nintendo makes the Gameboy, and they only want authorized games to be used in the system. But how can they stop someone from looking at the hardware and making a compatible game without paying a license fee?
Well, they build a check into the hardware for a specific set of assembly code on the cartridge. If your cart doesn't have that exact assembly it won't boot up.
The code?
It displays the Nintendo logo on the screen and plays their jingle.
That way, if you did make an unauthorized cartridge, you'd have to infringe on their trademark in order to make the game playable.
So Nintendo makes the Gameboy, and they only want authorized games to be used in the system. But how can they stop someone from looking at the hardware and making a compatible game without paying a license fee?
Well, they build a check into the hardware for a specific set of assembly code on the cartridge. If your cart doesn't have that exact assembly it won't boot up.
The code?
It displays the Nintendo logo on the screen and plays their jingle.
That way, if you did make an unauthorized cartridge, you'd have to infringe on their trademark in order to make the game playable.