Abstract: The present invention is directed to a digital verification and protection (“DVP”) system that can be implemented to protect against piracy or unauthorized reproduction of digital content that is delivered from a content provider to an end user of the content. Specifically, the preferred embodiments of the present invention detects the configuration or setup of the viewing or downloading equipment of the end user to determine whether the detected configuration or setup, including hardware and/or software setup, that may be used by the end user to copy or pirate the digital content to be delivered to the end user. Additionally, the present invention may be used by the content provider to require a specific minimum viewing or downloading equipment setup, such as a minimum processor speed, as precondition to accessing or viewing the digital content being requested by the end user.