NL Patent Office

Law and requirements

The 'Semiconductor Chip Protection Act' came into force in the United States in 1984. The Netherlands followed suit in 1987 with the Act on the Protection of Original Topographies of Semi-Conductor Products.

The Act on the Protection of Original Topographies of Semi-Conductor Products regulates the protection of chips rights in the Netherlands.

Requirements
The application form must contain a date of initial exploitation or a notice that initial exploitation is yet to take place. You may not file the application any later than two years after the date of initial exploitation.

Additional requirements are:

• Application form must be fully completed and signed
• A completed payment form must be accompanied by payment or payment method
• Drawing(s) must be supplied in duplicate.

Requirements for the drawings:

• In photographic form or as a diagram
• Clear so that the topography is identifiable
• In A4 format (29.7 x 21 cm), folded or unfolded, or rolled up, with a length of no more than 1,100 mm and a diameter of no more than 99 mm.

Sometimes parts of the drawing or image contain trade secrets. In addition to submitting a complete drawing or image, the applicant must then submit a copy upon which these parts have been covered and have been indicated as such. The identifiability of the topography must remain guaranteed.

Obligation of confidentiality
Employees of NL Patent Office have a duty to observe confidentiality by virtue of their official capacity.