Vessel Hull Design Protection Amendments of 2008
Public Law 110-434 · H.R. 6531 · 110th Congress · began in the House
Signed by George W. Bush (R) on Oct 16, 2008 · Commerce
Sponsor: Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA-28)
Cosponsors (3): Rep. Howard Coble, Rep. John Conyers,
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Vessel Hull Design Protection Amendments of 2008 - Amends federal copyright law to specify that the design of a vessel's hull, deck, or combination of a hull and deck, including a plug or mold are protected (currently, only the design of the vessel hull is protected, including a plug or mold).
Requires that Department of Defense (DOD) rights in a registered design, including the right to build to such a design, be determined solely by provisions of federal Armed Forces law relating to rights in technical data or by the instrument under which the design was developed for the U.S. government.
Redefines "useful article" and "hull." Defines "deck" as the horizontal surface of the vessel that covers the hull, including exterior cabin and cockpit surfaces, and exclusive of masts, sails, yards, rigging, hardware, fixtures, and other attachments.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
2 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.
S. 1640Companion billRelated bill
Vessel Hull Design Protection Amendments of 2007
S. 3106Identical bill
A bill to amend chapter 13 of title 17, United States Code (relating to the vessel hull design protection), to clarify the definitions of a hull and a deck.
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 15 actions.
- Oct 16, 2008Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 110-434.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Oct 7, 2008FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Oct 1, 2008FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Sep 30, 2008FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- OtherOther · Cleared for White House.
- Aug 1, 2008CalendarCalendar · Read twice. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 931.
- Jul 23, 2008CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate.
- Jul 22, 2008FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 6531.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Scott (VA) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Jul 17, 2008CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
No amendments to this bill are on record.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.