SELECTED ASPECTS OF LEGAL PROTECTION OF PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS DESIGNS AS WORKS

摘要

The paper addresses a topical issue of legal protection of printed circuit boards designs as works. Copyright protection of PCBs designs shall be treated as multi-aspect phenomenon. At least three main views of such a protection in subject context should be taken into consideration. Firstly, the work in the form of technical design documentation of the printed circuit board. The second aspect concerns the protection of the appearance of “product” in the form of a PCB with a mosaic of conductor tracks and solder pads. Finally, the third approach concerns the protection of the appearance of printed circuit boards in terms of three-dimensional subjects – as boards with specific electronic components installed. The aforesaid planes of copyright protection of PCBs designs are in some scope related to each other, while in all other respects they are interdependent.