# The Semiconductor Integrated Circuits Layout-Design Act, 2000, Section 7: Prohibition of registration of certain layout-designs

- Act: The Semiconductor Integrated Circuits Layout-Design Act, 2000 (Act 37 of 2000)
- In force from: 2004-05-01
- Ministry: Ministry of Commerce and Industry
- Source URL: https://indiacode.ecourtsindia.com/semiconductor-integrated-circuits-layout-design-act-2000/section/7/

## Text

(1) A layout-design-- (a) which is not original; or (b) which has been commercially exploited anywhere in India or in a convention country; or (c) which is not inherently distinctive; or (d) which is not inherently capable of being distinguishable from any other registered layoutdesign, shall not be registered as a layout-design: Provided that a layout-design which has been commercially exploited for not more than two years from the date on which an application for its registration has been filed either in India or in a convention country shall be treated as not having been commercially exploited for the purposes of this sub-section. (2) A layout-design shall be considered to be original if it is the result of its creator's own intellectual efforts and is not commonly known to the creators of layout-designs and manufacturers of semiconductor integrated circuits at the time of its creation: Provided that a layout-design consisting of such combination of elements and interconnections that are commonly known among creators of layout-designs and manufacturers of semiconductor integrated circuits shall be considered as original if such combination taken as a whole is the result of its creator's own intellectual efforts. (3) Where an original layout-design has been created in execution of a commission or a contract of employment, the right of registration to such layout-design under this Act shall belong, in the absence of any contractual provision to the contrary, to the person who commissioned the work or to the employer.

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