8. Application for registration.—(1) Any person claiming to be the creator of a layout-design, who
is desirous of registering it, shall apply in writing to the Registrar in the prescribed manner for the
registration of his layout-design.
(2) Every application under sub-section (1) shall be filed in the office of the Semiconductor Integrated
Circuits Layout-Design Registry within whose territorial limits the principal place of business in India of
the applicant or in the case of joint application the principal place of business in India of the applicant
whose name is first mentioned in the application, as having a place of business in India, is situate:
Provided that, where the applicant or any of the joint applicant does not carry on business in India, the
application shall be filed in the office of the Semiconductor Integrated Circuits Layout-Design Registry
within whose territorial limits the place mentioned in the address for service in India as disclosed in the
application is situate.
(3) Subject to the provisions of this Act, the Registrar may refuse the application or may accept it
absolutely or subject to such amendments or modifications, as he may think fit.
9. Withdrawal of acceptance.—Where after the acceptance of an application for registration of
layout-design, but before its registration, the Registrar is satisfied that the layout-design is prohibited of
registration under section 7, the Registrar may, after hearing the applicant if he so desires, withdraw the
acceptance and proceed as if the application had not been accepted.
10. Advertisement of application.—(1) When an application for registration of a layout-design has
been accepted, the Registrar shall, within fourteen days after the date of acceptance, cause the application
as accepted to be advertised in the prescribed manner.
(2) Where after advertisement of an application—
(a) an error in the application has been corrected; or
(b) the application has been permitted to be amended under section 12,
the Registrar may in his discretion cause the application to be advertised again or, in any case falling
under clause (b), may, instead of causing the application to be advertised again, notify in the prescribed
manner the correction or amendment made in the application.
11. Opposition to registration.—(1) Any person may, within three months from the date of the
advertisement or re-advertisement of an application for registration or within such further period, not
exceeding one month in the aggregate, as the Registrar, on application made to him in the prescribed
manner and on payment of the prescribed fee, allows, give notice in writing in the prescribed manner to
the Registrar of opposition to the registration.
(2) The Registrar shall serve a copy of the notice on the applicant for registration and, within two
months from the receipt by the applicant of such copy of the notice of opposition, the applicant shall send
to the Registrar in the prescribed manner a counter-statement of the grounds on which he relies for his
application and if he does not do so, he shall be deemed to have abandoned his application.
(3) If the applicant sends such counter-statement, the Registrar shall serve a copy thereof on the
person giving notice of opposition.
(4) Any evidence upon which the opponent and the applicant may rely shall be submitted in the
prescribed manner and within the prescribed time to the Registrar, the Registrar shall give an opportunity
to them to be heard, if they so desire.
9
(5) The Registrar shall, after hearing the parties, if so required, and considering the evidence, decide,
after taking into account any ground of objection whether relied upon by the opponent or not.
(6) When a person giving notice of opposition or an applicant sending a counter-statement after
receipt of a copy of such notice neither resides nor carries on business in India, the Registrar may require
him to give security for the costs of proceedings before him and, in default of such security being duly
given, may treat the opposition or application, as the case may be, as abandoned.
12. Correction and amendment.—The Registrar may on such terms as he thinks just—
(a) at any time, whether before or after acceptance of an application for registration under section
8, permit the correction of any error in or in connection with the application or permit an amendment
of the application; or
(b) permit correction of any error in, or an amendment of, a notice of opposition or a counterstatement under section 11.
13. Registration.—(1) Subject to the provisions of section 9, when an application for the registration
of the layout-design has been accepted and either—
(a) the application has not been opposed and time for notice of opposition has expired; or
(b) the application has been opposed and the opposition has been decided in favour of the
applicant,
the Registrar shall register the said layout-design in the register and the layout-design shall be registered
as of the date of the making of the said application and that date shall be deemed to be the date of
registration.
(2) On the registration of a layout-design, the Registrar shall issue to the applicant a certificate in the
prescribed form of the registration thereof sealed with the seal of the Semiconductor Integrated Circuits
Layout-Design Registry.
(3) Where registration of a layout-design is not completed within twelve months from the date of the
application by reason of default on the part of the applicant, the Registrar may, after giving notice to the
applicant in the prescribed manner, treat the application as abandoned unless it is completed within the
time specified in that behalf in the notice.
(4) The Registrar may amend the register or a certificate of registration for the purpose of correcting a
clerical error or an obvious mistake.
14. Jointly owned layout-design.—(1) Save as provided in sub-section (2), nothing in this Act shall
authorise the registration of two or more persons who claim to be the creator of a layout-design.
(2) Where the relation between two or more persons claiming to be the creator of layout-design are
such that—
(a) both of them or all of them have put the combined intellectual effort in creating such design;
or
(b) in relation to the creation of such layout-design both of them or all of them are connected in
such manner that intellectual effort of each of them are not distinguishable in creation of such layoutdesign,
those persons may be registered as joint proprietor of the layout-design and this Act shall have effect in
relation to any right to the use of the layout-design vested in those persons as if in those rights vested in a
single person.
10
15. Duration of registration.—The registration of a layout-design shall be only for a period of ten
years counted from the date of filing an application for registration or from the date of first commercial
exploitation anywhere in India or in any country whichever is earlier.