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China steps up protection for chip designs in revised regulations
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Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines
By Eduardo BaptistaBEIJING, Aug 3 (Reuters) - China has revised regulations protecting integrated-circuit layout designs, tightening registration standards and allowing punitive damages for serious infringement, as Beijing seeks to better safeguard domestic chip know-how.
Advertisement AdvertisementThe rules cover detailed layouts that determine how components are arranged within a chip, designs that can reflect substantial engineering work and are central to semiconductor development even for companies that do not manufacture chips themselves.
Those proposals could include restrictions on overseas production of advanced chips based on Chinese designs, the newspaper said.
The revisions announced on Monday are aimed at making it harder to copy such work or secure legal rights over designs developed by others.
The regulations strengthen remedies for infringement, allowing damages to be calculated based on losses suffered by the rights holder or gains made by the infringer.