Certified Output Protection Protocol

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What Does Certified Output Protection Protocol Mean?

Certified Output Protection Protocol (COPP) is a device driver technology that uses logo identification to deny access to video outputs or recordings. It was developed to prevent unauthorized digital video applications through developed security technology. Microsoft has encrypted control signals to ensure this type of protection. There are three protection mechanisms, and any graphics adapter must support one of them. This protocol securely connects between the graphics driver and the communication channel. The primary purpose of this security measure is to block unauthorized users from streaming protected audio and video.

Techopedia Explains Certified Output Protection Protocol

While displaying a video, whether or not the user is aware of it, the process of COPP is applied to the user’s activities to guard against improper or unauthorized video streaming. Microsoft first enlisted this protection protocol to protect against illegal recordings or distribution of videos. COPP provides copy-protection capabilities and has warranted the approval of companies such as CyberLink since 2005.

For instance, if a user is attempting to stream an audio and receives a pop-up containing “Access Denied,” there is a very high probability that there is an application working in conjunction with Microsoft’s COPP.

Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert
Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert

Margaret is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.