Jim: I believe that the design (and thus the drawing) is intellectual property and can be copyrighted. However, the assembly itself can not be copyrighted. The royalities gained by the company originating the design would be the profits off the product. We do not have formal experience in handling intellectual property but are very interested in learning more. Please call or e-mail. Regards, John R. Kretsch, P.E. Engineer, Design Assurance ADC Video Systems, Meriden, CT [log in to unmask] (203) 317-4053 ______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________ Subject: PCB Copyright Author: [log in to unmask] at internet-mail Date: 04/17/96 08:25 I'm a participant in TECHNO-L, an e-news mailing list regarding intellectual property and technology transfer. I posted a "simple" question there which is still being debated, and someone suggested I post it to your list which he says is the list for PCB designers and fabricators. The question is, can the design of printed circuit board be copyrighted, and royalties charged for each copy produced? Note that I'm talking PCBs, not microcircuits which can be protected as a Mask Work. Most respondents in TECHNO-L have concluded that it is not possible to protect the design because only artistic expression (and not utility) can be protected by copyright. However, one respondent reported that Israel courts have concluded that a PCB design is protectable under copyright. I'm sure you've hashed this over years ago. If someone would be so kind as to enlighten our group, and if possible point us toward an archive of the discussion (if it exists), we'd be very grateful. Thank you. -- James R. ("Jim") Palmer Licensing Executive Office of Technology Transfer Lockheed Martin Energy Systems, Inc. Oak Ridge, Tennessee