GB law on circuit layouts
Semiconductor topography rights in the UK: how long they last
A chip layout in Great Britain is protected by a form of design right with a term of its own, and the statutes behind ordinary design right, copyright and patents each set a different one.
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Ten years from first sale
The Design Right (Semiconductor Topographies) Regulations 1989 end the right ten years from the end of the calendar year in which the topography, or articles made to it, were first made available for sale or hire anywhere in the world.
Source: The Design Right (Semiconductor Topographies) Regulations 1989, reg. 6
Design right in a board layout
Ordinary design right under section 216 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 expires fifteen years from the end of the year the design was first recorded in a design document, or ten years from first sale when the design is sold within five years.
Source: CDPA 1988 s.216
What runs longer
Copyright expires 70 years from the end of the year its author dies, and a UK patent runs 20 years from filing.
Source: How long each right in a PCB design lasts, GB and US