Integrated Circuit Topography Act

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The Integrated Circuit Topography Act (An Act to provide for the protection of integrated circuit topographies and to amend certain Acts in consequence thereof, C-37) is legislation passed by the Parliament of Canada in 1990 that regulates the intellectual property of integrated circuit topographies. It came into force in 1993. The Act provides exclusive rights for the creator of the integrated circuit topography and remedies to deter infringement. The exclusive right is transferable. To receive the exclusive right to an integrated circuit topography the topography must be registered at the Canadian Intellectual Property Office. Between 1993 and 1999 there were about 38 registrations under the Act.

Integrated Circuit Topographies (ICT) are electronic integrated circuits or IC products that are configured and interconnected. These creations are protected in Canada by the Integrated Circuit Topography Act, which gives the creator exclusive rights for a period of ten years after registration. Because products containing these circuits are often exported outside Canada, Canada has reciprocal agreements with other countries that also protect the design for ten years.

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An industrial design right is an intellectual property right that protects the visual design of objects that are purely utilitarian. An industrial design consists of the creation of a shape, configuration or composition of pattern or color, or combination of pattern and color in three-dimensional form containing aesthetic value. An industrial design can be a two- or three-dimensional pattern used to produce a product, industrial commodity or handicraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Copyright law of Canada</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Intellectual Property Office</span> Canadian government agency

The Canadian Intellectual Property Office is responsible for the administration and processing of the greater part of intellectual property (IP) in Canada. CIPO's areas of activity include patents, trademarks, copyright, industrial designs and integrated circuit topographies. Structurally, CIPO functions as a special operating agency (SOA) under Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. CIPO is based in Gatineau, Quebec, part of the National Capital Region. CIPO’s current interim Chief Executive Officer is Konstantinos Georgaras.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Defences and remedies in Canadian patent law</span>

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Registration of intellectual property in Ghana is key to safeguarding one's intellectual efforts from infringement. Intellectual property law of Ghana encompasses intellectual property (IP) laws in Ghana, such as laws governing copyright, patent, trademark, industrial design rights, and unfair competition. The main intellectual property laws in Ghana include the Copyright Act, 2005, the Patents Act, 2003, the Trademarks Act, 2004, the Industrial Designs Act, 2003 and the Protection Against Unfair Competition Act, 2000. These are supplemented by regulations passed by the Legislature to augment the rate of development under IP laws.

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