Act on the 
Protection 
of Topographies 
of 
Semiconductor  
Products  
 
  
 
And 
 
ACTS ON AMEND MENTS TO  THE  
ACT ON  THE PRO TECTION OF  TOPOGR APHIES  
OF SEMICONDUCTOR PRODUCTS */**/*** /****  
 
 
 
 
NN 173/2003,  in force from Janua ry 1, 2004 
*NN 76/2007,  in force from July 31, 2007 
**NN  30/2009,  in force from March  17, 2009 
***NN  49/2011,  in force from May 7, 2011 
****NN 46/2018, in force from May 26, 2018  
 
 
 
Zagreb,  May 2018         Act on the Protection of Topographies of Semiconductor Products 
ACT AMENDING  AND SUPPL EMENTING  THE PROTECTION  OF TOPOGRAPHIES  OF SEMICONDUCTOR  PRODUCTS  ACT*/**/*** /****  
2 
May 2018   
  Act on the Protection of Topographies of Semiconductor Products 
ACT AMENDING  AND SUPPL EMENTING  THE PROTECTION  OF TOPOGRAPHIES  OF SEMICONDUCTOR  PRODUCTS  ACT*/**/*** /****  
3 
 May 2018   
  
 
 
 
I. GENE RAL PROVISIONS  
 
SUBJECT  MATTER  OF THE PROTECTION  
 
Article 1  
This Act regulates the protection of topographi es 
of semi conductor produc ts. 
 
 
DEFINITIO NS 
Article 2  
For the purposes of th is Act: 
 
(1) A Semicond uctor product  means the final 
or an inter mediate form  of any product:  
 
a)  Consisting  of a body of material  which 
includes a  layer of semiconducting 
materia l, and  
 
b) Having  one or more other layers 
composed  of conducting, insulating or 
semiconduct ing material which  have 
been arran ged in accor dance with a 
predetermin ed thre e-dimens ional 
pattern, and  
 
c) Intended to perform an electronic 
function,  exclusively  or together with 
other funct ions. 
 
(2) The   topography   of   a   semicond uctor 
product (he reinafter: topo graphy) means a 
series of related images, however  fixed or 
encoded : 
 
a) Repr esenting  the three-dimens ional 
pattern of  the layers of which  a 
semiconductor product is compose d, 
and 
 
b) In which se ries each im age has the 
pattern or  part of the pattern of a 
surface  of the semiconductor produ ct 
at any  stage of its manufacture. 
 
(3) Commercial  exploitation  of a topography 
means  the  sale,  rental,  leasing  or  any 
other method of  commerc ial distribut ion of 
the topogra phy, including  its offer for any 
of these   purpos es.   First   commercial 
exploi tation shall n ot incl ude exploi tation 
under  condit ions of  confidentiality to the 
extent that no further dis tribution  to third 
parties occurs . II. PROT ECTION REQUIREMENTS AND 
RIGHT 
TO PROT ECTI ON 
 
PROTECTION  REQUIREMENTS  
Article 3  
(1) The topog raphy shall be protected  by an 
exclusiv e right in accordance  with the 
provisio ns of this  Act if it is the result  of its 
creator's  own intellectual effort  and is not 
commonp lace in the semicon ductor 
industry.  
 
(2) Where   the   topog raphy   consists   of 
elemen ts that are commonplace  in the 
semic onduct or  industry,  it  shall  be 
protected o nly to the extent that the 
combinat ion of such  elements, taken as a 
whole,  fulfils the conditions referred to in 
paragraph (1) of this Artic le. 
 
 
RIGHT  TO PROTECTION  
Article 4  
(1) Right to protection  shall apply  in favour of 
natural  persons  who are the creators of 
the topographies.  Where sever al persons 
have  jointly  created  a  topog raphy,  the 
right shall jointly apply  in favour  of all of 
them.  
 
(2) Where  a  topography  is  created  in  the 
course  of the creator 's employmen t, the 
right to protection  shall apply in favour of 
the crea tor's employer unless othe rwise 
provided by the employm ent cont ract. 
 
(3) Where  a topography  is created  under  a 
contra ct other than a  contract of 
employmen t, the right to protection shall 
apply  in favour  of a party to the contract 
by whom   the   topog raphy   has   been 
commissio ned, unless otherwise pro vided 
by the cont ract. 
 
(4) Where   a   topography   is   created   in 
accor dance with  paragraphs  (2) and (3) of 
this Article, the right to protect ion of  a 
topog raphy shall apply in favour of:  
 
a)  Natural  persons who are nationals of 
the Republic  of Croatia or  who have 
their domicile or habitual residence on 
the territory of the Republic  of Croat ia; 
b)  Companies  or other  legal persons who 
have their principle  place of business  
on  the  territory  of  the  Republic  of 
Croat ia.        Act on the Protection of Topographies of Semiconductor Products 
ACT AMENDING  AND SUPPL EMENTING  THE PROTECTION  OF TOPOGRAPHIES  OF SEMICONDUCTOR  PRODUCTS  ACT*/**/*** /****  
4 
May 2018   
  
 
(5) The right to protect ion shall also apply  in 
favour of t he succe ssors in title of the 
persons  mentioned  in paragraphs  (1) to 
(4) of th is Article. 
 
 
Article 5  
Foreign  legal  and  natural  persons  not  having 
their principle  place of business,  or a domicile  or 
a habitual residence  on the  territory of the 
Republic  of Croat ia shall enjoy  the protection 
provided  by  this  A ct,  if  it  results  from 
internat ional treati es binding  the Republic  of 
Croat ia or from the application of the p rinciple of 
reciprocity.  
 
 
III. THE REGIST RATION PROCEDURE  
 
COMMON PROVISIONS ON THE 
PROCEDURE  BEFORE  THE OFFICE 
Article 6  
(1) The   procedures   for   registration   and 
declarat ion of  the decision on  the 
registr ation of a topography null and void 
shall be   carried   out   by   the   State 
Intellectual Property Office of the Rep ublic 
of Croatia (hereinafter: t he Office).  
 
(2) Against  the decisions  made  by the Office 
no appeal shall be allowed, but an 
administ rative lawsuit may  be initiate d. 
 
(3) The    Act    on    General    Administrative 
Procedure s hall apply  to certain  matters 
concerning the procedure which are not 
regulated by  this Act.  
 
 
FILING OF THE APPLIC ATION 
Article 7  
(1) The   proce dure   for   registrat ion   of   a 
topog raphy shall  be initiated  by an 
application  containing  a request  for the 
registration  of   topography   and   other 
relevant elements presc ribed by this Act 
(hereinafter:  topog raphy application).  
 
(2)    A topography  application  shall contain:  
 
a) A request  for the registration of  a 
topog raphy, which  must clearly and 
concisely identify the topography by its name or  specification of the  product  
range,  
 
b)  Indicatio ns allowing  the identity  of the 
applicant to be establish ed, 
 
c)   Sufficient  data to contact the applica nt 
or his representative, if an y, by mail,  d)  Written  statement as to the date of 
the first co mmercial  exploitation  if that 
date occurred  before the filing  date of 
the application,  
 
e)  Data and s upplements  identifying  the 
topog raphy:  
 
i) Drawings    or    photog raphs    of 
layouts for the product ion of a 
semiconductor product, or  
 
ii) Drawings    or    photog raphs    of 
layouts or  the parts thereof for  the 
production  of     semiconduct or 
product,  or 
 
iii) Drawings    or    photog raphs    of 
individual  layers      of      the 
semiconductor product.  
 
(3) The  following  may  be  attached  to  the 
material  referred to  in paragraph  (2) (e) of 
this Article: data  carriers,  their printouts, 
the semiconductor    product    for    the 
topog raphy of which the registration is 
applied for,  or a detailed description.  
 
(4) A  separate  application  shall  be  filed  for 
each topography.  
 
(5) The Minister respo nsible for the work of 
the Office, u pon the proposal m ade by the 
Director  of the  Office, shall enact the 
Regulat ions defining  the form of the 
application and the manner of drafting and 
filing thereof.  
 
 
Article 8  
(1) The applicant  has the right to mark any of 
the required materia ls or any of the parts 
thereof as  a trade secret, in which  case 
these parts shall not be m ade a vailable to 
the public.  
 
(2) The court may order the disclo sure of the 
materia ls referred to in paragraph  (1) of 
this Article only  to persons involved in 
litigation  concerning    the    validity    or 
infringement  of   the   exclusi ve   rights 
referred to in  Article 14 of this Act.  
 
 
EXAMINATION  OF TOPOGRAPHY 
APPLICATION  
Article 9  
(1) The Office  shall examine whether  the filed 
topog raphy application  contains all the 
elemen ts  referred  to  in  Article  7, 
paragraph (2) of this Act.  Act on the Protection of Topographies of Semiconductor Products 
ACT AMENDING  AND SUPPL EMENTING  THE PROTECTION  OF TOPOGRAPHIES  OF SEMICONDUCTOR  PRODUCTS  ACT*/**/*** /****  
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 May 2018   
  
 
(2) If the application  does not contain  all the 
elemen ts  referred  to  in  Article  7, 
paragraph  (2) of this  Act, the Office  shall 
invite  the   applicant   to   remedy   the 
deficiencies within  a time limit, which sha ll 
not be shorter than one month  and not 
longer than  three mont hs. 
 
(3) If    the    applicant    remedies    all    the 
deficiencies within  the time limit referred 
to in paragraph (2) of  this Article,  the date 
of receipt  of the correct  application  shall 
be deemed as  the filing date of the 
applicatio n. 
 
(4) If the applicant  does not remedy  all the 
deficiencies within  the time limit referred 
to  in  parag raph  (2)  of  this  Article,  the 
Office  shall reject  the application  by a 
decision.  
 
 
REGISTRATION  OF TOPOGRAPHY  AND 
PUBLICATION  OF THE REGISTERED 
TOPOGRAPHY 
Article 10  
(1) If the application  contai ns all the elements 
referred to in Article  7, paragraph  (2) of 
this Act, the Office s hall issue to the 
applicant  a decision  on the registrat ion of 
the to pography. 
 
(2) The  topography  shall  be  entered  in  the 
register of  topographies  and the data from 
the  register  shall  be  published  in  the 
Official Gazette of the Offi ce. 
 
 
REGISTER  OF TOPOGRAPHIES  
Article 11  
(1) The register  of topog raphies shall be kept 
by the Office.  
 
(2) The register  referred  to in paragraph  (1) of 
this Article  shall be public.  
 
(3) For  each  topography  the  following  data 
shall be   entered   in   the   register   of 
topog raphies:  
 
a) Registrat ion   number   of   the 
topog raphy,  
 
b)  Filing date of  the application,  
 
c)   Date and number of the decision  on 
the entry in to the regis ter, 
 
d)  Name of the  topograph y, 
 
e)  Data on t he applicant: the family name 
and the first name, as well as the 
domicile,  and  the  nationality  of  the applicant,  if it is a natural perso n, or 
the name and  principle  place of 
business of the  applicant  if it is a legal 
entity,  whereas the da ta concerning 
legal entities shall correspond to those 
contai ned in the court reg ister, 
 
f)  Data on the creator:  the family name, 
the first name  and the title; the 
indication  of the  town and  the country 
shall be  sufficient, 
 
g) Date   of   the   first   commerc ial 
exploi tation of the to pography, if the 
topog raphy ha s a lready be en 
commercially  exploited,  
 
h)  Data on a re presentative, if  any, 
 
i)  Data  on  changes  referring  to:  the 
transfer  of  the  right,  license, 
declarat ion of  nullity,  expiration and 
other chan ges releva nt for the legal 
status  of the  registered to pography.  
 
(4) The Minister respo nsible for the work of 
the Office, u pon the proposal m ade by the 
Director  of the  Office, shall enact the 
Regulat ions prescribing  the form and the 
manner  of   keeping   the   regist er   of 
topog raphies.  
 
 
PAYMENT  OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE 
FEES AND PROCEDURAL  CHARGES 
Article 12  
(1) The acts performed  in the course of the 
administ rative  proced ure  for  the 
registration  of  a  topog raphy  shall  be 
subject to  the payment  of the fees in 
compliance  with special regulatio ns. 
 
(2) Should  the  prescribed  fees  not  be  paid 
within  the prescribed  time limit, the 
application  shall be deemed withdraw n. 
 
 
DECLARATION OF THE DECISION  ON 
THE REGIS TRATION  OF A TOPOGRAPHY 
NULL AND VOID 
Article 13  
(1) The  decision  on  the  registrat ion  of  a 
topog raphy shall be declared  null and void 
if it has been  established:  
 
a)  That  the  topography  does  not  meet 
the require ments referred to in Article  
3, parag raph (1) of th is Act,  
 
b) That the a pplication  was filed by a 
natural person  or a legal entity not 
entitled t o the protect ion,        Act on the Protection of Topographies of Semiconductor Products 
ACT AMENDING  AND SUPPL EMENTING  THE PROTECTION  OF TOPOGRAPHIES  OF SEMICONDUCTOR  PRODUCTS  ACT*/**/*** /****  
6 
May 2018   
  
 
c)   That  the  application  was  not  filed 
within  the prescribed ter ms referred to 
in Article 19 of this Act,  
 
d)  That the identification of  the registe red 
topog raphy is not possible on  the basis 
of layo uts relating to it . 
 
(2) The procedur e relating  to the declaration 
of the decision on the registr ation of a 
topog raphy null and void may be initiated 
by the Office ex officio, or upon the 
propo sal of any  natural person or  legal 
person  or by the state attorney  on the 
grounds prescribed in paragraph (1) of this 
Article,  during the entire  duration  of the 
validity of a topograph y. 
 
 
IV. EFFECTS  OF PROTECTION 
AND  LIMI TATIONS  
 
EXCLUSIVE  RIGHTS  
Article 14  
(1) The exclusive  rights  referred to in Article  3 
of this Act shall  include the right to 
authori ze or prohibit  any of  the following 
acts: 
 
a)  Reproduct ion of the topography,  
 
b)  Import,  sale or other forms of putting 
into circulation the to pography or t he 
semiconductor  product  manufactured 
by using  the protected  topography , as 
well as the  products  incorporating  the 
semiconductor product containing t he 
protected  topography.  
 
(2) The   exclusive   rights   referred   to   in 
paragraph (1 ) of this Artic le shall not a pply 
to any concept, proc ess, syste m, technique 
of product ion of  the topography,  or any 
informat ion embodied  in the  topogra phy, 
but to the  topography as such.  
 
 
LIMITATIONS  OF EXCLUSIVE  RIGHTS  
Article 15  
Without  the author isation of  the holder of the 
exclusiv e rights confer red by a protected 
topog raphy, the following  shall be permitted:  
 
(1) Reproduct ion of the protected topography 
for private  purposes and non -commercial 
aims, 
 
(2) Reproduct ion of the protected topography 
for the purpose  of analysing, evaluating or 
teaching  the concep ts, processes, systems and techniques  embodied  in the 
topog raphy or the to pography itself,  and 
 
(3) Commercial    exploitation    of    a    new 
topog raphy which has been created on  the 
basis of research and anal ysis of  the 
protected  topography  which  is a result  of 
perso nal creative effort of its creator a nd is 
not commo nplace in the semicondu ctor 
industry.  
 
 
Article 16  
(1) A   person   who,   when   he   acquires   a 
semiconductor product, does n ot know, or 
has no reasonable gr ounds to believe, that 
the product  is protected by  the exclusive 
rights confer red by protected topog raphy, 
shall not be prevented  from commerc ially 
exploiting t hat product.  
 
(2) For   the   commercial   exploitat ion   of   a 
semiconductor  product oc curring  after the 
person re ferred to in paragraph (1) of th is 
Article  has known,  or has  reasonable 
grounds  to believe,  that the product  is 
protected by the exclusive rights confer red 
by a protected topogra phy, an ade quate 
remunerat ion shall  be determined  by the 
court unless the parties resolve the issue 
by negot iation,   mediation,   or   binding 
arbitrat ion. 
 
(3) The provisions of paragraphs (1) and (2) 
of this Article shall also apply  to the 
succe ssors in title  of the person who has 
acquired  a     semicon ductor     product 
protected by the exclusive rights confer red 
by a protected topograph y. 
 
 
EXHAUSTION  OF RIGHTS  
Article 17  
The   exhaustion   of   the   exclusive   rights   to 
author ise or prohibit  the acts specified  in Article  
14  paragra ph  (1)  of  this  Act  shall  come  into 
effect at the momen t of putting the prote cted 
topog raphy or the semiconductor  product 
produced  by using  the protected  topog raphy on 
the market  in Republic  of Croat ia by the holder  of 
the exclusiv e rights  conferred by the protected 
topog raphy o r with his a uthorisation. Act on the Protection of Topographies of Semiconductor Products 
ACT AMENDING  AND SUPPL EMENTING  THE PROTECTION  OF TOPOGRAPHIES  OF SEMICONDUCTOR  PRODUCTS  ACT*/**/*** /****  
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 May 2018   
  
 
V. DURATION  OF EXCLUSIVE  RIGHTS  
 
COMING INTO EXISTENCE 
OF EXCLUSIVE  RIGHTS 
Article 18  
The excl usive rights  conferred by a protected 
topog raphy shall  come  into existence on the 
earlier of t he following dates:  
 
1. The da te when the topography is first 
commercially   exploited   anywhere   in   the 
world,  or 
 
2.  The date w hen an application for registration 
has been filed to the Offi ce in due for m. 
 
 
EXPIRY  OF EXCLUSIVE  RIGHTS  
Article 19  
(1) The exclusive rights  shall come  to an end 
upon the expiry of a 10 year period from 
the earlier  of the following dates:  
 
a)  The end of the calend ar year in which 
the first co mmercial explo itation of the 
topog raphy  has  started  anywhere  in 
the world;  or 
 
b)  The end of the calend ar year in which 
the applicat ion for the registration  of 
the topography has been filed  in due 
form. 
 
(2) Where   a   topography   has   not   been 
commercially exploited  anywhere  in the 
world,  any  exclusi ve  rights  in  existence 
shall expire within  15 years  from its first 
fixation or encoding,  unless  an applicat ion 
for registrat ion in due fo rm has been f iled 
within that p eriod. 
 
 
Article 20  
An applicat ion   for   the   regist ration   of   a 
topog raphy shall not be filed after the expirat ion 
of a period  of two years as from date on which 
the  first    commercial    exploitation    of    the 
topog raphy has  started. 
 
 
MARKING OF TOPOGRAPHY  
Article 21  
During  the existence of  the exclusive rights, the 
holder  of a registered  topography  shall have  the 
right to mark a  semicond uctor product  produced 
by using  the registered topography  with a capital 
letter “ T”. VI. CIVIL  PROTECTION  
 
Article 22  
(1) A holder  of the exclusive  rights  conferred 
by the protected to pography whose ri ghts 
have been infringed  may claim, in addit ion 
to the co mpensation  for damages,  the 
ordering of measures  to prevent  further 
infringement  of his exclusive rights.  
 
(2) A  person  infringing  the  exclusiv e  rights 
conferred  by  the  protected  topography 
shall be liable to compensate  for the 
damage  incurred,  in accordance  with the 
general  principles on the compensat ion for 
damages.  
 
(3) The provision referred to in paragraph  (1) 
of this Article shall also apply  to the 
succe ssors in title of the holder  of the 
protected  topography . 
 
 
VII. TRANSITIONAL AND 
FINAL PROVISIONS 
 
Article 23  
The prov isions of the Patent Act conce rning the 
represe ntation, the holders of the joint r ights to a 
protected topography,  the procedure  for the 
declarat ion of the decision on the registration  of 
a topography null  and void, the time  limits for 
bringing  civil action on the  grounds of the 
infringement  of  the  right,  the  transfer  of  the 
right, and licence agree ments shall a pply mutatis 
mutandis  to the topogra phies of semiconductor 
products w hich are the  subject ma tter of  this Ac t. 
 
 
Article 24  
The provisions of this  Act shall apply  only to the 
topog raphies  created  after  its entry in to force.  
 
 
Article 25  
Upon the proposal made  by the Direct or of the 
Office,  the Minister  responsible  for the work of 
the Office s hall enact the Regulat ions prescribing 
the matters referred  to in Article  7, paragraph  (5) 
and Article 11, paragraph (4) of this Act up to the 
date the  application  of th is Act s hall start. 
 
 
Article 26  
The Act on the Protection of the Layout-Designs 
of Integrated Circuits (Official  Gazette  Nos. 78/99 
and 127/99)  shall cease  to be in force on the 
date the  application  of th is Act s tarts.        Act on the Protection of Topographies of Semiconductor Products 
ACT AMENDING  AND SUPPL EMENTING  THE PROTECTION  OF TOPOGRAPHIES  OF SEMICONDUCTOR  PRODUCTS  ACT*/**/*** /****  
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May 2018   
  
 
Article 27  
This Act shall enter into force on the eighth day 
from the day of its pu blication in t he Official 
Gazette,  and shall be applied as of 1 January 
2004.  Act on the Protection of Topographies of Semiconductor Products 
ACT AMENDING  AND SUPPL EMENTING  THE PROTECTION  OF TOPOGRAPHIES  OF SEMICONDUCTOR  PRODUCTS  ACT*/**/*** /****  
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 May 2018   
  
 
ACT AMENDING  AND SUPPLEM ENTI NG 
THE PROTECTION  OF TOPOG RAPHIES 
OF SEMICONDUCT OR PRODUCTS  ACT*  
 
Article 1  
In   the   Protection   of   Topog raphies   of 
Semiconductor  Produ cts Act (Official  Gazette  No. 
173/03), in Article 4, following the paragraph 4 a 
new parag raph 5 is added to read:  
“(5) W here the right to p rotection does not e xist 
pursuant  to other  provisions  of this Article,  the 
right  to  protection  of  a  topog raphy  shall  also 
apply  in favour of  the perso ns referred  to in 
paragraph  4, subpa ragraphs a) and b) of this 
Article, if:  
a) they have first  commercially  exploited  in the 
territory  of the Republic  of Croatia  a topography, 
which has not  previo usly been commercially 
exploited an ywhere in the  world,  
b) they ha ve been exc lusively a uthorized to 
commercially  exp loit  a  topography  in  the 
Europ ean Un ion by the pe rson e ntitled to transfer 
the rights in it.” 
In present   paragraph   5,   which   shall   be 
renumbered  into parag raph 6, number  “4” shall 
be replaced by number “5”.  
 
Article 2  
Article 6 is amended to read:  
“(1) The  Office  shall carry out the administrativ e 
proceedings  for registrat ion of a topog raphy and 
declarat ion of the decision on the registration  of 
a topog raphy null  and void, and perform  other 
administ rative and professional tasks concerning 
the protec tion of t he topogra phies of 
semiconductor products.  
(2) The adm inistrative decisions rende red by the 
Office  in the first  instan ce may  be appealed  and 
the appeals shall be decided on by the Board  of 
Appeal  in accordance with the  provisions of this 
Act. 
(3) The provisio ns of the General  Administrative  
Proceedin gs Act shall apply  to particul ar matters 
concerning the proce dure referred to in 
paragraphs  1 and  2 of this Article,  not regulated 
by this Act.  
(4) The adm inistrative decisions rende red by the 
Board of  Appeal in the s econd instance may be 
challenged    in    the    administrative    dispute  
according to the Administrative Dispute Act.” 
 
Article 3  
Article 11, paragraph 4 is  deleted.  
 
Article 4  
In article  12, parag raph 1, a second sentence  is 
added to read:  “If the prescribed a dministrative  fee and 
procedural  charges  have not been paid within  the 
prescribed  time limit, the application shall be 
conside red as withdrawn .” 
Paragraph 2 is amen ded to read:  
“(2) The  filing of an appeal shall be subject  to 
payment of t he administ rative fee and procedural 
charges  in accordance with special regulatio ns. If 
the adminis trative  fee and  procedur al charges 
have  not  been  paid  be fore  the  exp iry  of  the 
appeal perio d, the appeal shall not be considered 
as file d.” 
 
Article 5  
Article 17 is amended to read:  
“The placing on  the market in the territory  of the 
Republic  of Croatia, or  following  the accession of 
the Republic of  Croat ia to the European Union  in 
the territory  of a European Union  Member State 
or a Contracting State of the Agreemen t creating 
the European Economic Are a, of a protec ted 
topog raphy or a semiconductor product 
manufactured by  using  the protected  topography 
by the holder of the excl usive right co nferred by 
the protected topog raphy or  with his/her express 
authori zation, shall exhaust for the territory  of 
the Republic of Croat ia, the exclusive rights 
conferred by  the protected  topograph y.” 
 
Article 6  
Article 23 is amended to read:  
“The provisions of the  Patent Act concerning  the 
represe ntation,  the holders of the joint rights, the 
procedure  for the declaration of  nullity, the 
bringing the claim beca use of t he infri ngement of 
rights, the claim for establi shing the infringement 
and its term inatio n, the cl aim for da mages, the 
proceedings  concerned  with the infringement  of 
rights,  other   matters   concerning   the   civil 
enforcemen t of rights,  the trans fer of rights, the 
licence   contracts,   the   appea l,   the   appeal 
proceedings,  the Board of  Appea ls, and the 
administ rative dispute, shall apply mutatis 
mutandis  to the topogra phies of semiconductor 
products regulated by this  Act.”  
 
TRANSITO RY AND FINAL PROVISIONS  
Article 7  
The  proced ures  conc erning  the  protection  of 
rights  confer red by the registered  topography  of 
a semicondu ctor product, pending  on the date of 
the  entry  into  force  of  this  Act,  shall  be 
completed pursuant  to the provis ions of the Act 
which was in force  before the entry into force of 
this Ac t.        Act on the Protection of Topographies of Semiconductor Products 
ACT AMENDING  AND SUPPL EMENTING  THE PROTECTION  OF TOPOGRAPHIES  OF SEMICONDUCTOR  PRODUCTS  ACT*/**/*** /****  
10 
May 2018   
  
 
Article 8  
The Regu lations referred to  in Article 25  of the 
Protection of To pograph ies of  Semiconductor 
Products  Act (Official Gazette  No. 173/03) shall 
be harmonised with the provisions of t his Act by 
the  Minis ter  res ponsible  for  the  w ork  of  the 
Office, at the proposal of the Director General of 
the Office,  not later than within  three months 
following the  entering into  effect of th is Act.  
 
Article 9  
This Act s hall enter into  force on the eight  day 
following t he day of its p ublication in t he Official 
Gazette, except for:  
- the  provisions  of  Article  1  of  this  Act 
which shall enter into force on the  day of 
accession of the  Republic of  Croatia in the 
Europ ean Un ion and  
- the  provisions  of  Article  2  of  this  Act 
which enter into for ce on 1 June 2008.  Act on the Protection of Topographies of Semiconductor Products 
ACT AMENDING  AND SUPPL EMENTING  THE PROTECTION  OF TOPOGRAPHIES  OF SEMICONDUCTOR  PRODUCTS  ACT*/**/*** /****  
11 
 May 2018   
  
 
THE ACT 
ON AMEN DMENTS  TO THE ACT ON THE 
PROTECTION  OF TOPOGRAP HIES OF 
SEMICO NDUCTOR  PRODUCTS ** 
 
Article 1  
In the Act on amendme nts to th e Act on the 
protect ion of  topog raphies of sem iconductor 
products  (OG 173/03 and 76/07)  in Article  14, 
paragraph  1, item b), the words: “import,  sale or 
any ot her way of placi ng on the market”, are 
replaced by the wor ds: “commercial exploitat ion 
or import for  these pur poses” . 
 
Article 2  
Article 17 is amended, wh ich reads:  
“The exclusi ve rights for g ranting autho risation or 
ban of actions referred to in article  14, paragraph  
1,  item  b)  of  this  Act,  shall  exhaust  for  the 
territory of  the Republic of  Croatia, after  the 
protected to pography  or semiconductor product, 
manufa ctured by  applying  the protected 
topog raphy,  is placed on  the market in the 
territory of  the Republic of  Croatia, or upon  the 
accession of the Repub lic of Croatia to the 
European Un ion respe ctively, on the t erritory of 
any of the  Member  States, or co ntracting state 
party to the Treaty  on the Europ ean Economic 
Area, respectively,  by a person  empowered  to 
author ise  commercial  exploi tation  of  a 
topog raphy, or  any other person  with his/he rs 
author isation”. 
 
TRANS ITIONAL AND FINAL PROVISION S 
Article 3  
This Act shall enter into force on the eighth day 
following the  publication in  the “Official  Gazette ”.        Act on the Protection of Topographies of Semiconductor Products 
ACT AMENDING  AND SUPPL EMENTING  THE PROTECTION  OF TOPOGRAPHIES  OF SEMICONDUCTOR  PRODUCTS  ACT*/**/*** /****  
12 
May 2018   
  
 
ACT 
ON AMEN DMENTS  TO THE ACT ON THE 
PROTECTION  OF TOPOGRAP HIES OF 
SEMICO NDUCTOR  PRODUCTS *** 
 
Article 1  
In the Act on the Protection of Topographies  of 
Semiconductor  Products  (“Official  Gazette” Nos. 
173/03 and 76/07),  in Article 6, paragraph (2), 
the wor ds “administrativ e decisio ns” are replaced 
by the word “decisio ns”. 
Paragraph  (3) is delete d. 
In the former parag raph (4), which  becomes 
paragraph (3),  the words  “administrative 
decisio ns” are replaced by the word “dec isions”. 
 
Article 2  
In Article 9 p aragraph (2), the words “s hall invite 
the applica nt” are replaced by the words “shall 
order the  applicant by a conclusion”  
In paragraph  (4), the C roatian word t ranslated as 
“by a decis ion” is replaced  by another Croatian 
word tra nslated as “by  a decisio n”. 
 
Article 3  
In Article 12 paragraph (1), the  second sentence 
is delete d. 
In paragraph  (2), the  second sentence is delete d. 
 
Article 4  
This Act shall enter into force on the eighth day 
following  the day  of the publication  thereof in the 
“Official Gazette”.  
  Act on the Protection of Topographies of Semiconductor Products 
ACT AMENDING  AND SUPPL EMENTING  THE PROTECTION  OF TOPOGRAPHIES  OF SEMICONDUCTOR  PRODUCTS  ACT*/**/*** /****  
13 
 May 2018   
  
ACT 
ON AMEN DMENTS  TO THE ACT ON THE 
PROTECTION  OF TOPOGRAP HIES OF 
SEMICO NDUCTOR  PRODUCTS **** 
 
Article 1  
In the Act on the Protection of Topographies of 
Semiconductor Products (»Official Gazette«, No. 
173/03, 76/07, 30/09 and 49/11), Article 6 shall 
be amended to read:  
»(1) The State Intellectual Property Office 
(hereinafter: the  Office) shall carry out the 
administrative proceedings for registration of a topography and declaration of the decision on the registration of a topography null and void, and perform other administrative and professional tasks concerning the protection of  
the topographies of semiconductor products.  
(2) The decisions issued by the Office cannot be 
appealed, but an administrative dispute can be 
instituted before the Administrative Court in 
Zagreb.  
(3) The procedure referred to in paragraph (2) 
of this Articl e is urgent.«.  
 
Article 2  
In Article 12, paragraph (2) shall be deleted.  
 
Article 3  
After the word: »contracts« in Article 23, the comma and the words: »the appeal, the appeal proceedings, the Boards of Appeal,« shall be deleted.  
 
TRANSITIONAL AND FINAL PROVISIONS  
Article 4  
The Minister responsible for supervision of the work of the State Intellectual Property Office shall harmonise the Regulations on the Protection of Topographies of Semiconductor Products (»Official Gazette«, No. 72/04, 117/07 and 43/17) with the provisions of this Act within 
30 days from the day of the entry into force of 
this Act.   
 
 Article 5  
(1) Administrative procedures instituted by the  
provisions of the Act on the Protection of 
Topographies of Semiconductor Products (»Official Gazette«, No. 173/03, 76/07, 30/09 
and 49/11) where the State Intellectual Property 
Office as the first instance authority issued the 
decision until the day of the entry into force of this Act shall be completed in accordance with the provisions of that Ac t and the regulations 
issued pursuant to that Act.  
(2) Boards of Appeal in the field of industrial 
property rights established and appointed on 
the basis of the Patents Act (»Official Gazette«, No. 173/03, 54/05, 87/05, 76/07, 30/09, 
128/10, 49/11 and 76/1 3) shall continue to 
operate in accordance with the provisions of 
that Act and the regulations issued pursuant to that Act until all the administrative procedures referred to in paragraph (1) of this Article are completed by reaching final decisions, after  
which they shall cease to operate.  
(3) If, because of dismissal of the president or members of the Boards of Appeal referred to in paragraph (2) of this Article, it is not possible to determine the Board of Appeal to decide on an appeal, the procedure of electing or appointing 
the president or necessary number of members 
of the Boards of Appeal can exceptionally be conducted in accordance with the provisions of the Patents Act (»Official Gazette«, No. 173/03, 54/05, 87/05, 76/07, 30/09, 128/10, 49/11 and 76/13), for the needs of resolving the case 
referred to in paragraph (1) of this Article.  
 
Article 6  
This Act shall enter into force on the eighth day 
following the day of its publication in the 
»Official Gazette«.