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Online Attorney
work.
(g) Reproduction for Teaching or Analysis. - It is not an
infringement of the exclusive rights of a design owner for a person
to reproduce the design in a useful article or in any other form
solely for the purpose of teaching, analyzing, or evaluating the
appearance, concepts, or techniques embodied in the design, or the
function of the useful article embodying the design.
-SOURCE-
(Added Pub. L. 105-304, title V, Sec. 502, Oct. 28, 1998, 112 Stat.
2908.)
-End-
-CITE-
17 USC Sec. 1310 01/19/04
-EXPCITE-
TITLE 17 - COPYRIGHTS
CHAPTER 13 - PROTECTION OF ORIGINAL DESIGNS
-HEAD-
Sec. 1310. Application for registration
-STATUTE-
(a) Time Limit for Application for Registration. - Protection
under this chapter shall be lost if application for registration of
the design is not made within 2 years after the date on which the
design is first made public.
(b) When Design is Made Public. - A design is made public when an
existing useful article embodying the design is anywhere publicly
exhibited, publicly distributed, or offered for sale or sold to the
public by the owner of the design or with the owner's consent.
(c) Application by Owner of Design. - Application for
registration may be made by the owner of the design.
(d) Contents of Application. - The application for registration
shall be made to the Administrator and shall state -
(1) the name and address of the designer or designers of the
design;
(2) the name and address of the owner if different from the
designer;
(3) the specific name of the useful article embodying the
design;
(4) the date, if any, that the design was first made public, if
such date was earlier than the date of the application;
(5) affirmation that the design has been fixed in a useful
article; and
(6) such other information as may be required by the
Administrator.
The application for registration may include a description setting
forth the salient features of the design, but the absence of such a
description shall not prevent registration under this chapter.
(e) Sworn Statement. - The application for registration shall be
accompanied by a statement under oath by the applicant or the
applicant's duly authorized agent or representative, setting forth,
to the best of the applicant's knowledge and belief -
(1) that the design is original and was created by the designer
or designers named in the application;
(2) that the design has not previously been registered on
behalf of the applicant or the applicant's predecessor in title;
and
(3) that the applicant is the person entitled to protection and
to registration under this chapter.
If the design has been made public with the design notice
prescribed in section 1306, the statement shall also describe the
exact form and position of the design notice.
(f) Effect of Errors. - (1) Error in any statement or assertion
as to the utility of the useful article named in the application
under this section, the design of which is sought to be registered,
shall not affect the protection secured under this chapter.
(2) Errors in omitting a joint designer or in naming an alleged
joint designer shall not affect the validity of the registration,
or the actual ownership or the protection of the design, unless it
is shown that the error occurred with deceptive intent.
(g) Design Made in Scope of Employment. - In a case in which the
design was made within the regular scope of the designer's
employment and individual authorship of the design is difficult or
impossible to ascribe and the application so states, the name and
address of the employer for whom the design was made may be stated
instead of that of the individual designer.
(h) Pictorial Representation of Design. - The application for
registration shall be accompanied by two copies of a drawing or
other pictorial representation of the useful article embodying the
design, having one or more views, adequate to show the design, in a
form and style suitable for reproduction, which shall be deemed a
part of the application.
(i) Design in More Than One Useful Article. - If the
distinguishing elements of a design are in substantially the same
form in different useful articles, the design shall be protected as
to all such useful articles when protected as to one of them, but
not more than one registration shall be required for the design.
(j) Application for More Than One Design. - More than one design
may be included in the same application under such conditions as
may be prescribed by the Administrator. For each design included in
an application the fee prescribed for a single design shall be
paid.
-SOURCE-
(Added Pub. L. 105-304, title V, Sec. 502, Oct. 28, 1998, 112 Stat.
2909.)
-SECREF-
SECTION REFERRED TO IN OTHER SECTIONS
This section is referred to in sections 1304, 1306, 1313, 1332 of
this title.
-End-
-CITE-
17 USC Sec. 1311 01/19/04
-EXPCITE-
TITLE 17 - COPYRIGHTS
CHAPTER 13 - PROTECTION OF ORIGINAL DESIGNS
-HEAD-
Sec. 1311. Benefit of earlier filing date in foreign country
-STATUTE-
An application for registration of a design filed in the United
States by any person who has, or whose legal representative or
predecessor or successor in title has, previously filed an
application for registration of the same design in a foreign
country which extends to designs of owners who are citizens of the
United States, or to applications filed under this chapter, similar
protection to that provided under this chapter shall have that same
effect as if filed in the United States on the date on which the
application was first filed in such foreign country, if the
application in the United States is filed within 6 months after the
earliest date on which any such foreign application was filed.
-SOURCE-
(Added Pub. L. 105-304, title V, Sec. 502, Oct. 28, 1998, 112 Stat.
2910.)
-End-
-CITE-
17 USC Sec. 1312 01/19/04
-EXPCITE-
TITLE 17 - COPYRIGHTS
CHAPTER 13 - PROTECTION OF ORIGINAL DESIGNS
-HEAD-
Sec. 1312. Oaths and acknowledgments
-STATUTE-
(a) In General. - Oaths and acknowledgments required by this
chapter -
(1) may be made -
(A) before any person in the United States authorized by law
to administer oaths; or
(B) when made in a foreign country, before any diplomatic or
consular officer of the United States authorized to administer
oaths, or before any official authorized to administer oaths in
the foreign country concerned, whose authority shall be proved
by a certificate of a diplomatic or consular officer of the
United States; and
(2) shall be valid if they comply with the laws of the State or
country where made.
(b) Written Declaration in Lieu of Oath. - (1) The Administrator
may by rule prescribe that any document which is to be filed under
this chapter in the Office of the Administrator and which is
required by any law, rule, or other regulation to be under oath,
may be subscribed to by a written declaration in such form as the
Administrator may prescribe, and such declaration shall be in lieu
of the oath otherwise required.
(2) Whenever a written declaration under paragraph (1) is used,
the document containing the declaration shall state that willful
false statements are punishable by fine or imprisonment, or both,
pursuant to section 1001 of title 18, and may jeopardize the
validity of the application or document or a registration resulting
therefrom.
-SOURCE-
(Added Pub. L. 105-304, title V, Sec. 502, Oct. 28, 1998, 112 Stat.
2911.)
-SECREF-
SECTION REFERRED TO IN OTHER SECTIONS
This section is referred to in section 1320 of this title.
-End-
-CITE-
17 USC Sec. 1313 01/19/04
-EXPCITE-
TITLE 17 - COPYRIGHTS
CHAPTER 13 - PROTECTION OF ORIGINAL DESIGNS
-HEAD-
Sec. 1313. Examination of application and issue or refusal of
registration
-STATUTE-
(a) Determination of Registrability of Design; Registration. -
Upon the filing of an application for registration in proper form
under section 1310, and upon payment of the fee prescribed under
section 1316, the Administrator shall determine whether or not the
application relates to a design which on its face appears to be
subject to protection under this chapter, and, if so, the Register
shall register the design. Registration under this subsection shall
be announced by publication. The date of registration shall be the
date of publication.
(b) Refusal To Register; Reconsideration. - If, in the judgment
of the Administrator, the application for registration relates to a
design which on its face is not subject to protection under this
chapter, the Administrator shall send to the applicant a notice of
refusal to register and the grounds for the refusal. Within 3
months after the date on which the notice of refusal is sent, the
applicant may, by written request, seek reconsideration of the
application. After consideration of such a request, the
Administrator shall either register the design or send to the
applicant a notice of final refusal to register.
(c) Application To Cancel Registration. - Any person who believes
he or she is or will be damaged by a registration under this
chapter may, upon payment of the prescribed fee, apply to the
Administrator at any time to cancel the registration on the ground
that the design is not subject to protection under this chapter,
stating the reasons for the request. Upon receipt of an application
for cancellation, the Administrator shall send to the owner of the
design, as shown in the records of the Office of the Administrator,
a notice of the application, and the owner shall have a period of 3
months after the date on which such notice is mailed in which to
present arguments to the Administrator for support of the validity
of the registration. The Administrator shall also have the
authority to establish, by regulation, conditions under which the
opposing parties may appear and be heard in support of their
arguments. If, after the periods provided for the presentation of
arguments have expired, the Administrator determines that the
applicant for cancellation has established that the design is not
subject to protection under this chapter, the Administrator shall
order the registration stricken from the record. Cancellation under
this subsection shall be announced by publication, and notice of
the Administrator's final determination with respect to any
application for cancellation shall be sent to the applicant and to
the owner of record. Costs of the cancellation procedure under this
subsection shall be borne by the nonprevailing party or parties,
and the Administrator shall have the authority to assess and
collect such costs.
-SOURCE-
(Added Pub. L. 105-304, title V, Sec. 502, Oct. 28, 1998, 112 Stat.
2911; amended Pub. L. 106-113, div. B, Sec. 1000(a)(9) [title V,
Sec. 5005(a)(4)], Nov. 29, 1999, 113 Stat. 1536, 1501A-594.)
-MISC1-
AMENDMENTS
1999 - Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 106-113 inserted at end "Costs of the
cancellation procedure under this subsection shall be borne by the
nonprevailing party or parties, and the Administrator shall have
the authority to assess and collect such costs."
-SECREF-
SECTION REFERRED TO IN OTHER SECTIONS
This section is referred to in sections 1304, 1321 of this title.
-End-
-CITE-
17 USC Sec. 1314 01/19/04
-EXPCITE-
TITLE 17 - COPYRIGHTS
CHAPTER 13 - PROTECTION OF ORIGINAL DESIGNS
-HEAD-
Sec. 1314. Certification of registration
-STATUTE-
Certificates of registration shall be issued in the name of the
United States under the seal of the Office of the Administrator and
shall be recorded in the official records of the Office. The
certificate shall state the name of the useful article, the date of
filing of the application, the date of registration, and the date
the design was made public, if earlier than the date of filing of
the application, and shall contain a reproduction of the drawing or
other pictorial representation of the design. If a description of
the salient features of the design appears in the application, the
description shall also appear in the certificate. A certificate of
registration shall be admitted in any court as prima facie evidence
of the facts stated in the certificate.
-SOURCE-
(Added Pub. L. 105-304, title V, Sec. 502, Oct. 28, 1998, 112 Stat.
2912.)
-End-
-CITE-
17 USC Sec. 1315 01/19/04
-EXPCITE-
TITLE 17 - COPYRIGHTS
CHAPTER 13 - PROTECTION OF ORIGINAL DESIGNS
-HEAD-
Sec. 1315. Publication of announcements and indexes
-STATUTE-
(a) Publications of the Administrator. - The Administrator shall
publish lists and indexes of registered designs and cancellations
of designs and may also publish the drawings or other pictorial
representations of registered designs for sale or other
distribution.
(b) File of Representatives of Registered Designs. - The
Administrator shall establish and maintain a file of the drawings
or other pictorial representations of registered designs. The file
shall be available for use by the public under such conditions as
the Administrator may prescribe.
-SOURCE-
(Added Pub. L. 105-304, title V, Sec. 502, Oct. 28, 1998, 112 Stat.
2912.)
-End-
-CITE-
17 USC Sec. 1316 01/19/04
-EXPCITE-
TITLE 17 - COPYRIGHTS
CHAPTER 13 - PROTECTION OF ORIGINAL DESIGNS
-HEAD-
Sec. 1316. Fees
-STATUTE-
The Administrator shall by regulation set reasonable fees for the
filing of applications to register designs under this chapter and
for other services relating to the administration of this chapter,
taking into consideration the cost of providing these services and
the benefit of a public record.
-SOURCE-
(Added Pub. L. 105-304, title V, Sec. 502, Oct. 28, 1998, 112 Stat.
2912.)
-SECREF-
SECTION REFERRED TO IN OTHER SECTIONS
This section is referred to in section 1313 of this title.
-End-
-CITE-
17 USC Sec. 1317 01/19/04
-EXPCITE-
TITLE 17 - COPYRIGHTS
CHAPTER 13 - PROTECTION OF ORIGINAL DESIGNS
-HEAD-
Sec. 1317. Regulations
-STATUTE-
The Administrator may establish regulations for the
administration of this chapter.
-SOURCE-
(Added Pub. L. 105-304, title V, Sec. 502, Oct. 28, 1998, 112 Stat.
2912.)
-End-
-CITE-
17 USC Sec. 1318 01/19/04
-EXPCITE-
TITLE 17 - COPYRIGHTS
CHAPTER 13 - PROTECTION OF ORIGINAL DESIGNS
-HEAD-
Sec. 1318. Copies of records
-STATUTE-
Upon payment of the prescribed fee, any person may obtain a
certified copy of any official record of the Office of the
Administrator that relates to this chapter. That copy shall be
admissible in evidence with the same effect as the original.
-SOURCE-
(Added Pub. L. 105-304, title V, Sec. 502, Oct. 28, 1998, 112 Stat.
2913.)
-End-
-CITE-
17 USC Sec. 1319 01/19/04
-EXPCITE-
TITLE 17 - COPYRIGHTS
CHAPTER 13 - PROTECTION OF ORIGINAL DESIGNS
-HEAD-
Sec. 1319. Correction of errors in certificates
-STATUTE-
The Administrator may, by a certificate of correction under seal,
correct any error in a registration incurred through the fault of
the Office, or, upon payment of the required fee, any error of a
clerical or typographical nature occurring in good faith but not
through the fault of the Office. Such registration, together with
the certificate, shall thereafter have the same effect as if it had
been originally issued in such corrected form.
-SOURCE-
(Added Pub. L. 105-304, title V, Sec. 502, Oct. 28, 1998, 112 Stat.
2913.)
-End-
-CITE-
17 USC Sec. 1320 01/19/04
-EXPCITE-
TITLE 17 - COPYRIGHTS
CHAPTER 13 - PROTECTION OF ORIGINAL DESIGNS
-HEAD-
Sec. 1320. Ownership and transfer
-STATUTE-
(a) Property Right in Design. - The property right in a design
subject to protection under this chapter shall vest in the
designer, the legal representatives of a deceased designer or of
one under legal incapacity, the employer for whom the designer
created the design in the case of a design made within the regular
scope of the designer's employment, or a person to whom the rights
of the designer or of such employer have been transferred. The
person in whom the property right is vested shall be considered the
owner of the design.
(b) Transfer of Property Right. - The property right in a
registered design, or a design for which an application for
registration has been or may be filed, may be assigned, granted,
conveyed, or mortgaged by an instrument in writing, signed by the
owner, or may be bequeathed by will.
(c) Oath or Acknowledgment of Transfer. - An oath or
acknowledgment under section 1312 shall be prima facie evidence of
the execution of an assignment, grant, conveyance, or mortgage
under subsection (b).
(d) Recordation of Transfer. - An assignment, grant, conveyance,
or mortgage under subsection (b) shall be void as against any
subsequent purchaser or mortgagee for a valuable consideration,
unless it is recorded in the Office of the Administrator within 3
months after its date of execution or before the date of such
subsequent purchase or mortgage.
-SOURCE-
(Added Pub. L. 105-304, title V, Sec. 502, Oct. 28, 1998, 112 Stat.
2913; amended Pub. L. 106-44, Sec. 1(f)(2), Aug. 5, 1999, 113 Stat.
222.)
-MISC1-
AMENDMENTS
1999 - Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 106-44 substituted "Acknowledgment"
for "Acknowledgement" in heading.
-End-
-CITE-
17 USC Sec. 1321 01/19/04
-EXPCITE-
TITLE 17 - COPYRIGHTS
CHAPTER 13 - PROTECTION OF ORIGINAL DESIGNS
-HEAD-
Sec. 1321. Remedy for infringement
-STATUTE-
(a) In General. - The owner of a design is entitled, after
issuance of a certificate of registration of the design under this
chapter, to institute an action for any infringement of the design.
(b) Review of Refusal To Register. - (1) Subject to paragraph
(2), the owner of a design may seek judicial review of a final
refusal of the Administrator to register the design under this
chapter by bringing a civil action, and may in the same action, if
the court adjudges the design subject to protection under this
chapter, enforce the rights in that design under this chapter.
(2) The owner of a design may seek judicial review under this
section if -
(A) the owner has previously duly filed and prosecuted to final
refusal an application in proper form for registration of the
design;
(B) the owner causes a copy of the complaint in the action to
be delivered to the Administrator within 10 days after the
commencement of the action; and
(C) the defendant has committed acts in respect to the design
which would constitute infringement with respect to a design
protected under this chapter.
(c) Administrator as Party to Action. - The Administrator may, at
the Administrator's option, become a party to the action with
respect to the issue of registrability of the design claim by
entering an appearance within 60 days after being served with the
complaint, but the failure of the Administrator to become a party
shall not deprive the court of jurisdiction to determine that
issue.
(d) Use of Arbitration To Resolve Dispute. - The parties to an
infringement dispute under this chapter, within such time as may be
specified by the Administrator by regulation, may determine the
dispute, or any aspect of the dispute, by arbitration. Arbitration
shall be governed by title 9. The parties shall give notice of any
arbitration award to the Administrator, and such award shall, as
between the parties to the arbitration, be dispositive of the
issues to which it relates. The arbitration award shall be
unenforceable until such notice is given. Nothing in this
subsection shall preclude the Administrator from determining
whether a design is subject to registration in a cancellation
proceeding under section 1313(c).
-SOURCE-
(Added Pub. L. 105-304, title V, Sec. 502, Oct. 28, 1998, 112 Stat.
2913.)
-End-
-CITE-
17 USC Sec. 1322 01/19/04
-EXPCITE-
TITLE 17 - COPYRIGHTS
CHAPTER 13 - PROTECTION OF ORIGINAL DESIGNS
-HEAD-
Sec. 1322. Injunctions
-STATUTE-
(a) In General. - A court having jurisdiction over actions under
this chapter may grant injunctions in accordance with the
principles of equity to prevent infringement of a design under this
chapter, including, in its discretion, prompt relief by temporary
restraining orders and preliminary injunctions.
(b) Damages for Injunctive Relief Wrongfully Obtained. - A seller
or distributor who suffers damage by reason of injunctive relief
wrongfully obtained under this section has a cause of action
against the applicant for such injunctive relief and may recover
such relief as may be appropriate, including damages for lost
profits, cost of materials, loss of good will, and punitive damages
in instances where the injunctive relief was sought in bad faith,
and, unless the court finds extenuating circumstances, reasonable
attorney's fees.
-SOURCE-
(Added Pub. L. 105-304, title V, Sec. 502, Oct. 28, 1998, 112 Stat.
2914.)
-End-
-CITE-
17 USC Sec. 1323 01/19/04
-EXPCITE-
TITLE 17 - COPYRIGHTS
CHAPTER 13 - PROTECTION OF ORIGINAL DESIGNS
-HEAD-
Sec. 1323. Recovery for infringement
-STATUTE-
(a) Damages. - Upon a finding for the claimant in an action for
infringement under this chapter, the court shall award the claimant
damages adequate to compensate for the infringement. In addition,
the court may increase the damages to such amount, not exceeding
$50,000 or $1 per copy, whichever is greater, as the court
determines to be just. The damages awarded shall constitute
compensation and not a penalty. The court may receive expert
testimony as an aid to the determination of damages.
(b) Infringer's Profits. - As an alternative to the remedies
provided in subsection (a), the court may award the claimant the
infringer's profits resulting from the sale of the copies if the
court finds that the infringer's sales are reasonably related to
the use of the claimant's design. In such a case, the claimant
shall be required to prove only the amount of the infringer's sales
and the infringer shall be required to prove its expenses against
such sales.
(c) Statute of Limitations. - No recovery under subsection (a) or
(b) shall be had for any infringement committed more than 3 years
before the date on which the complaint is filed.
(d) Attorney's Fees. - In an action for infringement under this
chapter, the court may award reasonable attorney's fees to the
prevailing party.
(e) Disposition of Infringing and Other Articles. - The court may
order that all infringing articles, and any plates, molds,
patterns, models, or other means specifically adapted for making
the articles, be delivered up for destruction or other disposition
as the court may direct.
-SOURCE-
(Added Pub. L. 105-304, title V, Sec. 502, Oct. 28, 1998, 112 Stat.
2914.)
-SECREF-
SECTION REFERRED TO IN OTHER SECTIONS
This section is referred to in section 1307 of this title.
-End-
-CITE-
17 USC Sec. 1324 01/19/04
-EXPCITE-
TITLE 17 - COPYRIGHTS
CHAPTER 13 - PROTECTION OF ORIGINAL DESIGNS
-HEAD-
Sec. 1324. Power of court over registration
-STATUTE-
In any action involving the protection of a design under this
chapter, the court, when appropriate, may order registration of a
design under this chapter or the cancellation of such a
registration. Any such order shall be certified by the court to the
Administrator, who shall make an appropriate entry upon the record.
-SOURCE-
(Added Pub. L. 105-304, title V, Sec. 502, Oct. 28, 1998, 112 Stat.
2915.)
-End-
-CITE-
17 USC Sec. 1325
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