Originality

(1) No layout-design of an integrated circuit shall be protected under this Act unless it is original within the meaning of subsection (2) of this section. (2) A layout-design shall be considered to be original if it is the result of the creator’s own intellectual effort and is not commonplace among creators of and manufacturers of integrated circuits at the time of its creation. (3) A layout-design consisting of a combination of elements and interconnections which are commonplace shall be protected only if the combination, taken as a whole, is original within the meaning of subsection (2) of this section. (Topographies) of Integrated Circuits 7 Designs.