ron@brl-vgr.ARPA (Ron Natalie <ron>) (06/01/84)
From EETimes Monday, 21 May Senate Passes Semi-Chip Bill House Action Expected Soon by Jim Van Nostrand WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate voted unanimously last week to extend copyright protections to semiconductor-chip designs. The House Judiciary Committee has approved a similar bill, and, according to the staff of the Semiconductor Industry Association, action by the full House is expected within a few weeks. The Senate bill would allow chip designers to copyright their creations for 10 years. While specifically prohibiting the unauthorized reporduction of copyrighted chips, the bill would protect the right of competitors to reverse-engineer by studying chip designs, and would allow the production of chips that may have the same function, but are of different design. THe SIA hasd three reasons, according to SIA staff member Daryl Hatano, for favoring the Senate bill which was passed Wednesday. It extends traditional copyright law to protect chip designs. This protection would be retroactive covering chips made for commercial uses as far back as 1980. The bill also provides for violoators of its provisions to incur criminal, as well as civil penalties. "The House committee wanted to create a new, non-copyright kind of protection for chip masks," Hatano said. The House bill would be retroactive for one year, rather than teh Senate's five years. The SIA is polling its members, but preliminarily favors the longer period, Hatano said. "And we would favor having criminal penalties to the extent that they would deter illegal chip copying," he said. "Passage of copyright legislation is essential to the continuing health of the U.S.semiconductor industry," Thomas Hinkelman, SIA president, said. "By reducing the threat of substantial losses from chip piracy, this legislation encourages the investment in research and development that is so critical to keeping our industry innovative and competitive." No form of intellectual property law currently protects semiconductor designs. Industry representatives have told Congress that a successful design, which can cost as much as $50 million to develop, can now be copied through photographic reproduction for as little as $50,000. Senators Charles Mathias, R-Md., and Gary Hart, D-Colo., are the chief sponsors of the Senate bill. A House subcommittee chairman, Rep. Robert Kastenmeier, D-Wis., is the author of the House bill, which was introduced by two California Democrats, Reps. Don Edwards and Norm Mineta. -Ron
garys@bunker.UUCP (Gary Samuelson) (06/04/84)
What's this about making this protection being retroactive? I thought that was always illegal. (No ex post fact law...)
jss@sjuvax.UUCP (06/13/84)
[Aren't you hungry....] Wonderful, I for one think that this copyright extension is a good thing. Now how about software copyright/patent legislation... Jonathan S. Shapiro Haverford College Haverford, Pa.