NMMA develops new Q&A on Vessel Hull Protection Act

A new NMMA Q&A website offers an educational piece on the Vessel Hull Protection Act. The act protects original designs of a vessel hull, deck, or a combination of the two, which makes it distinctive to U.S. consumers. Protection against “hull splashing”—the process by which vessel hulls are easily copied using fiberglass to form a mold of an existing vessel and used to reproduce unauthorized copies of an original design—is included in the act. The new document helps manufacturers understand the VHPA and learn more about how to copyright and protect original hull designs.