Title 17, CopyrightsRelease 119-102
§904 Duration of Protection
Title 17 › CHAPTER 9 — PROTECTION OF SEMICONDUCTOR CHIP PRODUCTS › § 904
Summary
Protection for a mask work starts on the earlier of two dates: the date it is registered under section 908, or the date it is first used commercially anywhere in the world. Unless other rules in this chapter change that, the protection lasts ten years from that start date, but it always runs until the last day (December 31) of the calendar year in which the ten-year period would end.
Full Legal Text
Title 17, §904
Copyrights, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)The protection provided for a mask work under this chapter shall commence on the date on which the mask work is registered under section 908, or the date on which the mask work is first commercially exploited anywhere in the world, whichever occurs first.
(b)Subject to subsection (c) and the provisions of this chapter, the protection provided under this chapter to a mask work shall end ten years after the date on which such protection commences under subsection (a).
(c)All terms of protection provided in this section shall run to the end of the calendar year in which they would otherwise expire.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
17 U.S.C. § 904
Title 17, Copyrights
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102