FEDERAL
AGENCY:
LIBRARY
OF CONGRESS
AUTHORIZATION:
Public
Law 98-620, 98 Stat. 3347 (1984) (as amended).
To
administer the Semiconductor Chip Protection Act of 1984; to examine
and decide the acceptability of all application and identifying
material for registration of the claim of protection; to establish
by regulation the fees for filing of applications and for other
services provided by the Copyright Office; to record and publish
legal facts or data pertaining to each registered work; to furnish
information to the public about the procedures for applying for
registration and the practices of the Office; to record documents
of transfer or other documents pertaining to mask works.
TYPES
OF ASSISTANCE:
Dissemination of Technical Information.
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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 $75 an hour. However, any member of the public
may (without charge) use the catalog records in the Copyright Office.
The post 1977 records are available via the Copyright Office website.
The fee set by regulation for registration of claims of protection
is $75. There are also separate schedules of regulatory fees for
recordation of transfers of ownership and certified copies of record.
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.
APPLICATION
AND AWARD PROCESS:
Pre-application
Coordination: This program is excluded from
coverage under OMB Circular No. A-102. This program is excluded
from coverage under E.O. 12372.
Application
Procedure: 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
Procedure: 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.
Range
of Approval/Disapproval Time: If the Copyright
Office fails to act upon the application within four months of
its receipt, the applicant has the right to bring suit in court
against an infringement before registration is made.
Appeals:
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 Mask Work Unit of the Examining
Division.
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.
Obligations:
(Salaries and Expenses) FY 01 $0; FY 02 est $0; and FY 03 est
$0. 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.
PROGRAM
ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
In fiscal year 2002, a total of 508 mask work registrations were
made. The estimated number of mask work registrations for fiscal
year 2003 are 500 and fiscal year 2004 are 500.
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. SE., Washington,
DC 20559-6000.
Web
Site Address: http://www.copyright.gov
EXAMPLES
OF FUNDED PROJECTS:
Not applicable.
CRITERIA
FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS:
Not applicable.
