§914 — Title 17 Copyrights | U.S. Code

Summary

The Secretary of Commerce may, if someone asks or on the Secretary’s own, order that people and government authorities from a foreign country get protection for mask works under this chapter even if they would not normally qualify. To do that, the Secretary must find three things: the foreign country is making real, reasonable progress toward a qualifying treaty or laws; people or governments from that country are not stealing or wrongly selling mask works; and giving protection would help the goals of this law and international cooperation. While such an order is in effect, a registration for a mask work cannot be denied just because the owner is from that country or the work was first sold there. The order lasts for the period the Secretary names but cannot go past July 1, 1995, and the start date can’t be before the Secretary gets a petition if one was filed. The order ends if the Secretary finds the required conditions no longer exist or if mask works from that country become eligible under section 902(a)(1)(A) or (C). Registrations made under an order stay valid for the time set in section 904. The Secretary must quickly tell the Register of Copyrights and the Judiciary Committees and publish why an order was issued or ended. Two years after enactment, the Secretary, with the Register, must report to those Committees about actions taken and the state of international mask work protection, and must send an update no later than July 1, 1994.

Title 17, §914

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(a)Notwithstanding the conditions set forth in subparagraphs (A) and (C) of section 902(a)(1) with respect to the availability of protection under this chapter to nationals, domiciliaries, and sovereign authorities of a foreign nation, the Secretary of Commerce may, upon the petition of any person, or upon the Secretary’s own motion, issue an order extending protection under this chapter to such foreign nationals, domiciliaries, and sovereign authorities if the Secretary finds—

(1)that the foreign nation is making good faith efforts and reasonable progress toward—

(A)entering into a treaty described in section 902(a)(1)(A); or

(B)enacting or implementing legislation that would be in compliance with subparagraph (A) or (B) of section 902(a)(2); and

(2)that the nationals, domiciliaries, and sovereign authorities of the foreign nation, and persons controlled by them, are not engaged in the misappropriation, or unauthorized distribution or commercial exploitation, of mask works; and

(3)that issuing the order would promote the purposes of this chapter and international comity with respect to the protection of mask works.

(b)While an order under subsection (a) is in effect with respect to a foreign nation, no application for registration of a claim for protection in a mask work under this chapter may be denied solely because the owner of the mask work is a national, domiciliary, or sovereign authority of that foreign nation, or solely because the mask work was first commercially exploited in that foreign nation.

(c)Any order issued by the Secretary of Commerce under subsection (a) shall be effective for such period as the Secretary designates in the order, except that no such order may be effective after the date on which the authority of the Secretary of Commerce terminates under subsection (e). The effective date of any such order shall also be designated in the order. In the case of an order issued upon the petition of a person, such effective date may be no earlier than the date on which the Secretary receives such petition.

(d)(1)Any order issued under this section shall terminate if—

(A)the Secretary of Commerce finds that any of the conditions set forth in paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) of subsection (a) no longer exist; or

(B)mask works of nationals, domiciliaries, and sovereign authorities of that foreign nation or mask works first commercially exploited in that foreign nation become eligible for protection under subparagraph (A) or (C) of section 902(a)(1).

(2)Upon the termination or expiration of an order issued under this section, registrations of claims of protection in mask works made pursuant to that order shall remain valid for the period specified in section 904.

(e)The authority of the Secretary of Commerce under this section shall commence on the date of the enactment of this chapter, and shall terminate on July 1, 1995.

(f)(1)The Secretary of Commerce shall promptly notify the Register of Copyrights and the Committees on the Judiciary of the Senate and the House of Representatives of the issuance or termination of any order under this section, together with a statement of the reasons for such action. The Secretary shall also publish such notification and statement of reasons in the Federal Register.

(2)Two years after the date of the enactment of this chapter, the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Register of Copyrights, shall transmit to the Committees on the Judiciary of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report on the actions taken under this section and on the current status of international recognition of mask work protection. The report shall include such recommendations for modifications of the protection accorded under this chapter to mask works owned by nationals, domiciliaries, or sovereign authorities of foreign nations as the Secretary, in consultation with the Register of Copyrights, considers would promote the purposes of this chapter and international comity with respect to mask work protection. Not later than July 1, 1994, the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Register of Copyrights, shall transmit to the Committees on the Judiciary of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report updating the matters contained in the report transmitted under the preceding sentence.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The date of enactment of this chapter, referred to in subsecs. (e) and (f)(2), is the date of enactment of Pub. L. 98–620, which was approved Nov. 8, 1984.

Amendments

1991—Subsec. (a)(1)(B). Pub. L. 102–64, § 3(1), inserted “or implementing” after “enacting”. Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 102–64, § 3(2), substituted “

July 1, 1995” for “

July 1, 1991”. Subsec. (f)(2). Pub. L. 102–64, § 4, substituted “

July 1, 1994” for “

July 1, 1990”. 1987—Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 100–159, § 2, substituted “on

July 1, 1991” for “three years after such date of enactment”. Subsec. (f)(2). Pub. L. 100–159, § 4, which directed the amendment of subsec. (f) by inserting at end “Not later than

July 1, 1990, the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Register of Copyrights, shall transmit to the Committees on the Judiciary of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report updating the matters contained in the report transmitted under the preceding sentence.”, was executed by inserting new language at end of par. (2) of subsec. (f) as the probable intent of Congress.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Findings and Purposes Pub. L. 102–64, § 2, June 28, 1991, 105 Stat. 320, provided that: “(a) Findings.—The Congress finds that—“(1) section 914 of title 17, United States Code, which authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to issue orders extending interim protection under chapter 9 of title 17, United States Code, to mask works fixed in semiconductor chip products and originating in foreign countries that are making good faith efforts and reasonable progress toward providing protection, by treaty or legislation, to mask works of United States nationals, has resulted in substantial and positive legislative developments in foreign countries regarding protection of mask works; “(2) the Secretary of Commerce has determined that most of the industrialized countries of the world are eligible for orders affording interim protection under section 914 of title 17, United States Code; “(3) no multilateral treaty recognizing the protection of mask works has come into force, nor has the United States become bound by any multilateral agreement regarding such protection; and “(4) bilateral and multilateral relationships regarding the protection of mask works should be directed toward the international protection of mask works in an effective, consistent, and harmonious manner, and the existing bilateral authority of the Secretary of Commerce under chapter 9 of title 17, United States Code, should be extended to facilitate the continued development of protection for mask works. “(b) Purposes.—The purposes of this Act [amending this section and enacting provisions set out as a note under section 901 of this title] are—“(1) to extend the period within which the Secretary of Commerce may grant interim protection orders under section 914 of title 17, United States Code, to continue the incentive for the bilateral and multilateral protection of mask works; and “(2) to clarify the Secretary’s authority to issue such interim protection orders.” Pub. L. 100–159, § 1, Nov. 9, 1987, 101 Stat. 899, as amended by Pub. L. 105–80, § 12(b)(1), Nov. 13, 1997, 111 Stat. 1536, provided that: “(a) Findings.—The Congress finds that—“(1) section 914 of title 17, United States Code, which authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to issue orders extending interim protection under chapter 9 of title 17, United States Code, to mask works fixed in semiconductor chip products and originating in foreign countries that are making good faith efforts and reasonable progress toward providing protection, by treaty or legislation, to mask works of United States nationals, has resulted in substantial and positive legislative developments in foreign countries regarding protection of mask works; “(2) the Secretary of Commerce has determined that most of the industrialized countries of the world are eligible for orders affording interim protection under section 914 of title 17, United States Code; “(3) the World Intellectual Property Organization has commenced meetings to draft an international convention regarding the protection of integrated electronic circuits; “(4) these bilateral and multilateral developments are encouraging steps toward improving international protection of mask works in a consistent and harmonious manner; and “(5) it is inherent in section 902 of title 17, United States Code, that the President has the authority to revise, suspend, or revoke, as well as issue, proclamations extending mask work protection to nationals, domiciliaries, and sovereign authorities of other countries, if conditions warrant. “(b) Purposes.—The purposes of this Act [amending this section and section 902 of this title] are—“(1) to extend the period within which the Secretary of Commerce may grant interim protective orders under section 914 of title 17, United States Code, to continue this incentive for the bilateral and multilateral protection of mask works; and “(2) to codify the President’s existing authority to revoke, suspend, or limit the protection extended to mask works of foreign entities in nations that extend mask work protection to United States nationals.”

§914 International transitional provisions