1306.1 Term of Protection for Designs Registered with the U.S. Copyright Office
Protection for a registered vessel design lasts ten years from the earlier of (I) the date a registration is published by the U.S. Copyright Office, or (ii) the date the design was first “made public,” whichever is earliest. 17 U.S.C. §§ 1304, 1305 (A). The term of protection lasts until the end of the calendar year in which it expires. 17 U.S.C. § 1305 (B). As noted in Section 1305.5, protection may terminate earlier if a design patent is issued before the ten-year term expires.