Section 903 (c)(1) Any document pertaining to a mask work may be recorded in the Copyright Office..... [ the usual conditions] On Mon, 2 Mar 2020, smf wrote: > On 01/03/2020 23:00, William Levak wrote: > >> >> To clarify what I said: The ARTWORK that produced IC masks is >> copyrightable, the same as any other artwork. >> > That is not my understanding of the legal situation prior to 1984 and > subsequently. > > https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_circuit_layout_design_protection > <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_circuit_layout_design_protection> > > Because of the functional nature of the mask geometry, the designs > cannot be effectively protected undercopyright > <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright>law (except perhaps as > decorative art). Similarly, because individual lithographic mask works > are not clearly protectable subject matter; they also cannot be > effectively protected underpatent > <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patent>law, although any processes > implemented in the work may be patentable. > > > The United States Code (USC) defines a mask work as "a series of related > images, however fixed or encoded, having or representing the > predetermined, three-dimensional pattern of metallic, insulating, or > semiconductor material present or removed from the layers of a > semiconductor chip product, and in which the relation of the images to > one another is such that each image has the pattern of the surface of > one form of the semiconductor chip product" [(17 U.S.C. § 901(a)(2))]. > Mask work exclusive rights were first granted in the US by > theSemiconductor Chip Protection Act of 1984 > <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semiconductor_Chip_Protection_Act_of_1984>. > > > According to17 U.S.C. > <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Title_17_of_the_United_States_Code>§ 904 > <https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/904>, rights in > semiconductor mask works last 10 years. This contrasts with aterm of 95 > years > <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonny_Bono_Copyright_Term_Extension_Act>for > modern copyrighted works with a corporate authorship; alleged > infringement of mask work rights are also not protected by a > statutoryfair use <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use>defense, nor > by the typicalbackup <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backup>copy > exemptions that17 U.S.C. > <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Title_17_of_the_United_States_Code>§ 117 > <https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/17/117>provides forcomputer > software <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_software>. > > > wlevak_at_sdf.org SDF Public Access UNIX System - http://sdf.orgReceived on 2020-05-30 01:14:14
Archive generated by hypermail 2.3.0.