Software piracy poses a significant threat to the arcade industry, leading to revenue loss and unfair competition. To combat this, manufacturers employ various robust methods to protect their intellectual property. One common approach is the use of hardware-based security dongles. These physical devices must be connected to the arcade machine for the software to run, making unauthorized duplication extremely difficult. Another prevalent method involves encrypting the game code itself. By obfuscating and encrypting critical portions of the software, it becomes nearly impossible for pirates to reverse-engineer and copy the game. Secure boot processes are also widely implemented. This ensures that only signed, authorized software from the original manufacturer can be loaded during the machine's startup sequence, blocking any modified or pirated versions. Furthermore, many modern arcade systems incorporate online verification and periodic license checks. The machine connects to a central server to validate its software license, and if it fails this check, functionality may be disabled. Lastly, physical security measures are crucial. Tamper-proof cabinets, security screws, and epoxy coatings on PCBs prevent physical access to the hardware, deterring would-be pirates from manipulating the system internally. A combination of these methods creates a multi-layered defense, making software piracy a challenging and less profitable endeavor.