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Title 17, CopyrightsRelease 119-102

§912 Relation to Other Laws

Title 17 › CHAPTER 9 — PROTECTION OF SEMICONDUCTOR CHIP PRODUCTS › § 912

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

Other federal rights and ways to sue that people have under chapters 1–8 or 10 of this title, or under title 35, are not taken away by this chapter. Also, unless section 908(b) says otherwise, when those chapters refer to "this title" they are not talking about this chapter. The rules in this chapter override state laws that give the same rights or ways to sue about a mask work, but only for cases filed on or after January 1, 1986. Still, if a mask work was first sold or used commercially before July 1, 1983, its owner keeps any other federal (not this chapter), common law, or state-law rights they have now or that come later.

Full Legal Text

Title 17, §912

Copyrights, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Nothing in this chapter shall affect any right or remedy held by any person under chapters 1 through 8 or 10 of this title, or under title 35.
(b)Except as provided in section 908(b) of this title, references to “this title” or “title 17” in chapters 1 through 8 or 10 of this title shall be deemed not to apply to this chapter.
(c)The provisions of this chapter shall preempt the laws of any State to the extent those laws provide any rights or remedies with respect to a mask work which are equivalent to those rights or remedies provided by this chapter, except that such preemption shall be effective only with respect to actions filed on or after January 1, 1986.
(d)Notwithstanding subsection (c), nothing in this chapter shall detract from any rights of a mask work owner, whether under Federal law (exclusive of this chapter) or under the common law or the statutes of a State, heretofore or hereafter declared or enacted, with respect to any mask work first commercially exploited before July 1, 1983.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1992—Subsecs. (a), (b). Pub. L. 102–563 inserted “or 10” after “8”. 1988—Subsecs. (d), (e). Pub. L. 100–702 redesignated subsec. (e) as (d) and struck out former subsec. (d) which read as follows: “The provisions of section 1338, 1400(a), and 1498(b) and (c) of title 28 shall apply with respect to exclusive rights in mask works under this chapter.”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

17 U.S.C. § 912

Title 17, Copyrights

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102