law: Semiconductor Integrated Circuits Layout-Design Act, 2000
  63.
  
     Offences
  
  by companies.
  1.   If the person
  
  committing an offence under this Act is a company, the company as well as every
  
  person in charge of, and responsible to, the company for the conduct of its
  
  business at the time of the commission of the offence shall be deemed to be
  
  guilty of the offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished
  
  accordingly:
  Provided that nothing contained in this sub-section shall render any such person liable to
  
  any punishment if he proves that the offence was committed without his
  
  knowledge or that he exercised all due diligence to prevent the commission of
  
  such offence.
  2.   Notwithstanding
  
  anything contained in sub-section (1), where an offence under this Act has been
  
  committed by a company and it is proved that the offence has been committed with
  
  the consent or connivance of, or that the commission of the offence is
  
  attributable to any neglect on the part of, any director, manager, secretary or
  
  other officer of the company, such director, manager, secretary or other
  
  officer shall also be deemed to be guilty of that offence and shall be liable
  
  to be proceeded against and punished accordingly.
  Explanation
  
  - For
  
  the purposes of this section-
  a.   ''company'' means anybody
  
  corporate and includes a firm or other association or individuals; and
  b.  
  
    ''director'',
  
  in relation to a firm, means a partner in the firm.