A layout design is eligible for protection if it is original, that is, if it results from the creator’s own intellectual effort and is not commonplace among creators of layout designs or manufacturers of integrated circuits at the time of its creation. Protection is generally subject to registration or commercial exploitation, as prescribed under the Act
The registered proprietor enjoys exclusive rights to prevent unauthorised commercial reproduction, importation, sale, or distribution of the protected layout design, an integrated circuit incorporating the design, or any article containing such a design.
