European Union
Bahrain, Kingdom of
Layout-designs (Topographies) of Integrated Circuits
40. Please explain what protection your national legislation grants to right holders against the unlawful importation, sale or distribution for commercial purposes of topographies including integrated circuits or other articles in which a topography is incorporated in accordance with Article 36 of the TRIPS Agreement.
Article 6 of the draft Law on Layout Designs of Integrated Circuits provides: "The owner of the layout-design shall have the exclusive right to exploit it for commercial purposes. Third parties may not reproduce, whether by incorporation in an integrated circuit or otherwise, the protected layout-design in its entirety or any new part thereof; nor import, sell or otherwise distribute for commercial purposes a layout-design or an integrated circuit in which a layout-design is incorporated, without the authorization of the right holder. Notwithstanding, where any of the acts referred to in Paragraph (a) are performed by a person who had no knowledge nor reasonable ground to know, when performing such act, that the integrated circuit or article contains a protected layout-design, he may after being notified ,by the right holder with registered mail with recorded delivery , that the integrated circuit or article contains a protected layout-design, dispose of the stock of articles in his possession or that he has ordered but shall in either cases be liable to pay a fair compensation to the right holder."