The Software Protection (sppsvc) service enables downloading, installing, and enforcing digital licenses for the Windows operating system and applications. If the service is disabled, the operating system and licensed applications will run in a notification mode. It is strongly recommended that you not disable the Software Protection service.

This service is installed by default and its startup type is Automatic.

When the Software Protection service is started in its default configuration, it logs on by using the Network Service account.

The Software Protection service is dependent upon the following system components:

• Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
• DCOM Server Process Launcher
• RPC Endpoint Mapper