17 USC 904
Duration of protection

Executive summary:

This document contains one section of the U.S. Copyright Act (found in Title 17 of the United States Code). This page was last updated in October 2005. All of the sections of the Copyright Act are listed on the Index page.

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§904. Duration of protection

(a)

The protection provided for a mask work under this chapter [17 USC § §901 et seq.] shall commence on the date on which the mask work is registered under section 908 [17 USC 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 [17 USC § §901 et seq.], the protection provided under this chapter [17 USC § §901 et seq.] 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.