Are there any limitations or exceptions to your chips rights?

The following limitations and exceptions apply:

• Reverse engineering: this is the deconstructing of a chip to get information from it for the sole purpose of evaluation, analysis, research or teaching. This does not require your consent as the rights holder.
• Parallel creation: as the chips rights’ holder you may not invoke your rights against an identical chip design (topography) that was created independently by a third party.
• Innocent infringement: the commercial distribution of an unlawfully copied design (either in a chip or a product incorporating such a chip) cannot be prevented, if the person was legitimately unaware that the chip was unlawfully reproduced.

Note that these limitations/exceptions may vary from one country to another.