ne Convention Work"
+ Appendix VII. Selected Provisions of the U.S. Code Relating to
Copyright

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The Constitutional Provision Respecting Copyright

The Congress shall have Power ... To promote the Progress of Science and
useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the
exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries

(United States Constitution, Article I, Section 8)

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Preface

This volume contains the text of title 17 of the *United States Code*,
including all amendments enacted through the end of the second session
of the 106th Congress in 2000. It includes the Copyright Act of 1976 and
all subsequent amendments to copyright law; the Semiconductor Chip
Protection Act of 1984, as amended; and the Vessel Hull Design
Protection Act, as amended. The Copyright Office is responsible for
registering claims under all three.

The United States copyright law is contained in chapters 1 through 8 and
10 through 12 of title 17 of the *United States Code.* The Copyright Act
of 1976, which provides the basic framework for the current copyright
law, was enacted on October 19, 1976 as Pub. L. No. 94-553, 90 Stat.
2541. Listed below in chronological order of their enactment are
subsequent amendments to copyright law.

Chapters 9 and 13 of title 17 contain statutory design protection that
is independent of copyright protection. Chapter 9 of title 17 is the
Semiconductor Chip Protection Act of 1984 (SCPA), as amended. On
November 8, 1984, the SCPA was enacted as title III of Pub. L. No.
98-620, 98 Stat. 3335, 3347. Chapter 13 of title 17 is the Vessel Hull
Design Protection Act (VHDPA). It was enacted on October 28, 1998 as
title V of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), Pub. L. No.
105-304, 112 Stat. 2860, 2905. Subsequent amendments to the SCPA and the
VHDPA are also included in the list below, in chronological order of
their enactment.

For transitional and supplementary copyright provisions that were
enacted as part of the Copyright Act of 1976 and the DMCA, but which do
not amend title 17, see the Appendix.

Statutory Enactments Contained in Title 17 of the *United States Code*

+ [Copyright Act of 1976], Pub. L. No. 94-553, 90 Stat. 2541 (for the
general revision of copyright law, title 17 of the *United State