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Semiconductor Chip Protection Service
Program Accomplishments
In FY 07, the Office made 284 mask work registrations. The Office estimates 250 such registrations for FY 08.
Uses and Use Restrictions
USES AND USE RESTRICTIONS: Anyone may request information about the Semiconductor Chip Protection Act, the Copyright Office regulations, the method of securing registration and the procedures for registering claims of protection and recording documents.
This information is free of charge.
Reports on facts found in the records of the Copyright Office may be obtained for a statutory fee of $150 an hour.
However, any member of the public may (without charge) use the catalog records in the Copyright Office.
The records are available via the Copyright Office website.
The fee set by regulation for registration of claims of protection is $95.
There are also separate schedules of regulatory fees for recordation of transfers of ownership and certified copies of record.
The latest fee information can be obtained by contacting the Copyright Office or checking the Copyright Office Website at www.copyright.gov.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicant Eligibility
Information is supplied on request to anyone.
Registration may be made by the owner of a qualified mask work, as designated by law, or the duly authorized agent of such owner.
Beneficiary Eligibility
Information is supplied to anyone on request. Owners of qualified mask works as designated by law will benefit.
Credentials/Documentation
This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-87.
Aplication and Award Process
Preapplication Coordination
This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No.
A-102.
This program is excluded from coverage under E.O.
12372.
Application Procedures
Walk-in service or written requests for information. Applications for registration are made on forms MW provided by the office. Application forms are available on the Copyright Office Website at http://www.copyright.gov. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-110.
Award Procedures
Not applicable.
Deadlines
Applications for registration of a claim of protection must be made within 2 years after the date in which the work was first commercially exploited anywhere in the world.
Authorization
Public Law 98-620, 98 Stat. 3347 (1984) (as amended)
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time
If the Copyright Office fails to act upon the application within four months of its receipt, the Office is deemed to have refused to register the application. However, an applicant has the right to initiate an infringement suit in court before registration is made, provided that notice of the action is served on the Register of Copyrights.
Appeals
Requests for Reconsideration: Refusal of the Register of Copyrights to issue a certificate of registration may be brought for review in an appropriate United States district court not later than sixty days after the refusal. Informal administrative reconsideration of a refusal to register may be requested by letter to the Registration and Recordation Program.
Renewals
None. The duration of protection is a single ten year term terminating at the end of the tenth calendar year.
Assistance Considerations
Formula and Matching Requirements
Not applicable.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance
Not applicable.
Post Assistance Requirements
Reports
None.
Audits
None.
Records
None.
Financial Information
Account Identification
03-0102-0-1-376.
Obigations
(Salaries and Expenses) FY 07 $0; FY 08 $0; and FY 09 est not reported. Note: The cost of the semiconductor chip protection service has been absorbed by the Copyright Office under the appropriation for copyright services. (Fees collected are returned to the U.S. Treasury to offset the costs of the program.)
Range and Average of Financial Assistance
Not applicable.
Regulations, Guidelines, and Literature
Applications, copies of regulations, and printed informational circulars are available from the Copyright Office at the mailing address given below.
Information Contacts
Regional or Local Office
Not applicable.
Headquarters Office
Register of Copyrights, Copyright Office, James Madison Memorial Building, Library of Congress, Washington, DC. Telephone: (202) 707-1497. Mailing Address: Library of Congress, Copyright Office, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, DC 20559-6000.
Criteria for Selecting Proposals
Not applicable.
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