§ 906. — Limitation on exclusive rights: reverse engineering; first sale.
[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 17USC906]
TITLE 17--COPYRIGHTS
CHAPTER 9--PROTECTION OF SEMICONDUCTOR CHIP PRODUCTS
Sec. 906. Limitation on exclusive rights: reverse engineering;
first sale
(a) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 905, it is not an
infringement of the exclusive rights of the owner of a mask work for--
(1) a person to reproduce the mask work solely for the purpose
of teaching, analyzing, or evaluating the concepts or techniques
embodied in the mask work or the circuitry, logic flow, or
organization of components used in the mask work; or
(2) a person who performs the analysis or evaluation described
in paragraph (1) to incorporate the results of such conduct in an
original mask work which is made to be distributed.
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 905(2), the owner of a
particular semiconductor chip product made by the owner of the mask
work, or by any person authorized by the owner of the mask work, may
import, distribute, or otherwise dispose of or use, but not reproduce,
that particular semiconductor chip product without the authority of the
owner of the mask work.
(Added Pub. L. 98-620, title III, Sec. 302, Nov. 8, 1984, 98 Stat.
3350.)
