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Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Program Descriptions

42.008:  Semiconductor Chip Protection Service

Objectives:  To administer the Semiconductor Chip Protection Act of 1984; to examine and decide the acceptability of all application and identifying material for registration of the claim of protection; to establish by regulation the fees for filing of applications and for other services provided by the Copyright Office; to record and publish legal facts or data pertaining to each registered work; to furnish information to the public about the procedures for applying for registration and the practices of the Office; to record documents of transfer or other documents pertaining to mask works.

PROGRAM AND AWARD	FINANCIAL AND INFORMATION CONTACTS
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS	FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFO.
APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS	INFORMATION CONTACTS
RELATED PROGRAMS	ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS
PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS	POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS

42.008 ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

Applicant Eligibility:  Information is supplied on request to anyone. Registration may be made by the owner of a qualified mask work, as designated by law, or the duly authorized agent of such owner.

Beneficiary Eligibility:  Information is supplied to anyone on request. Owners of qualified mask works as designated by law will benefit.

Credentials/Documentation:  This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-87.

42.008 APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS:

Preapplication Coordination:  This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-102. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.

Application Procedure:  Walk-in service or written requests for information. Applications for registration are made on forms MW provided by the office. Application forms are available on the Copyright Office Website at www.loc.gov/copyright. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-110.

Award Procedure:  Not applicable.

Deadlines:  Applications for registration of a claim of protection must be made within 2 years after the date in which the work was first commercially exploited anywhere in the world.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time:  If the Copyright Office fails to act upon the application within four months of its receipt, the applicant has the right to bring suit in court against an infringe before registration is made.

Appeals:  Refusal of the Register of Copyrights to issue a certificate of registration may be brought for review in an appropriate United States district court not later than 60 days after the refusal. Informal administrative reconsideration of a refusal to register may be requested by letter to the Mask Work Unit of the Examining Division.

Renewals:  None; the duration of protection is a single ten year term terminating at the end of the tenth calendar year.

Criteria for Selecting Proposals:  Not applicable.

Examples of Funded Projects:  Not applicable.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance:  Not applicable.

42.008 RELATED PROGRAMS:

• 42.002 Copyright Service;
• 11.900 Patent and Trademark Technical Information Dissemination.

42.008 PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

In fiscal year 1999, a total of 500 mask work registrations were made. The estimated number of mask work registrations for fiscal year 2000 are 537 and fiscal year 2001 are 550.

42.008 FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFO:

Federal Agency:  LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

Type of Assistance:  Dissemination of Technical Information.

Obligations:  (Salaries and expenses) FY 99 $0; FY 00 est $0; and FY 01 est $0. Note: The cost of the semiconductor chip protection service has been absorbed by the Copyright Office under the appropriation for copyright services. (Fees collected are returned to the U.S. Treasury to offset the costs of the program.)

Budget Account Number:  03-0102-0-1-376.

Authorization:  Public Law 98-620, 98 Stat. 3347, 17 U.S.C. 908, 7 U.S.C. 17 (except Section 708).

Regulations, Guidelines, and Literature:  Applications, copies of regulations, and printed informational circulars are available from the Copyright Office at the mailing address given below.

42.008 INFO CONTACTS:

Regional or Local Office:  Not applicable.

Headquarters Office:  Register of Copyrights, Copyright Office, James Madison Memorial Bldg., Library of Congress, Washington, DC. Phone: (202) 707-1497. Mailing Address: Library of Congress, Copyright Office, 101 Independence Ave. SE., Washington, DC 20559-6000.

(See Appendix IV for more contact info.)

42.008 ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:

Formula and Matching Requirements:  Not applicable.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance:  Not applicable.

Uses and Use Restrictions:  Anyone may request information about the Semiconductor Chip Protection Act, the Copyright Office regulations, the method of securing registration and the procedures for registering claims of protection and recording documents. This information is free of charge. Reports on facts found in the records of the Copyright Office may be obtained for a statutory fee of $65 an hour. However, any member of the public may (without charge) use the catalog records in the Copyright Office. The fee set by regulation for registration of claims of protection is $75. There are also separate schedules of regulatory fees for recordation of transfers of ownership and certified copies of record.

42.008 POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Reports:  None.

Audits:  None.

Records:  None.