Protection for Semiconductor Chip Masks in the United States

Three experts describe the scope of protection provided by the Semiconductor Chip Protection Act of 1984 and the conditions imposed on eligibility for protection.

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Three experts describe the scope of protection provided by the Semiconductor Chip Protection Act of 1984 and the conditions imposed on eligibility for protection. They also discuss substantive and procedural issues raised by the Act, its legislative history, and the appertaining regulations promulgated by the US Copyright Office. Of particular interest to the international practitioner is the book's comprehensive discussion of protection for mask works not first commercially exploited in the United States and of the avenues available for protection of mask works developed outside the United States. The authors' explanation, by textual analysis, of the provisions of this new law and the guidelines given are indispensable aids for everybody concerned with this topic.