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Title 17 — CopyrightsRelease 119-73not60

§912 Relation to Other Laws

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

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

The chapter does not take away any rights or ways to get help that people already have under chapters 1 through 8, chapter 10, or title 35. When those chapters mention "this title" or "title 17," they are not meant to cover this chapter, except where section 908(b) says otherwise. The rules in this chapter override any State law that gives the same kinds of rights or remedies for a mask work, but only for lawsuits filed on or after January 1, 1986. Still, if a mask work was first commercially used before July 1, 1983, its owner keeps any rights under other federal laws (not this chapter), common law, or state laws, whether those rights existed before or are created 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

Apr 5, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60