Warning On Trade Mark Traps

Chronicle (Levin), 1 December 1948, Page 7

Warning On Trade Mark Traps

Press Associationj

(Per

WELLINGTON, Nov. 30. Tlie rcgistration'of trade marks lulJed llie publie into a false sense of coufidence conceming the quality of some goods, and made many people easy victims of exploitation, said the executive officer of the New Zealand Stan dards Institute (Mr. L. J. McDonald' in evlden.ce before the Patents Commission this morning. Quoting examples, he said that nonproprictary aspirin tablets supplied under Social 'Seeurity sold at 1s a hun dred. Proprietary trade-marked brands acknowledged to be the same product for practical purposes no better and uo worse, sold at ls 7d, 2s 7d, 4s 5d, and 4s 9d a hundred, while some sold ui sinaller lots at the rate of approxim ately Ss Id a hundred. He then read eonnnent in the Cou sumers' Union report (U.S.A.), for Oc tober, 1946: "Since all brands wenalike in all important respects, consuin ers would be wise to disregard sucii deseriptive ternis as ' pui'e, ' ' genuine, ' eertilied, ' ' dissolves faster, ' etc., and buy the aspirin that's cheapest." Soap Prices. Of, 153 brands of toilet soaps tested and reported upon in the 1941 Consum ers Buying Guide, only 63 fullv met the requirements of relevant Pederal speeilications. Of these, some sold at a price 900 per eent. higher than otliers. Oi' 39 brands which barely complied wita .spei'ilication requirements, some sold at a price 1150 per eent. higher tlia'n the lowest price soap in the highest quality category. In this group, a brand which was on the market in New Zealand at that time, sold at a price six times higher tlian auother soap in the highest quality •ategorv which was also 011 the market in New Zealasd. A11 instauee of dry cells for electric torehcs coming off the same production run and being sold at 519 and 7d a unit, was also given by Mr. McDonald. The o'niy difference was the use of a labe) bearing the trade mark brand iu the case of the higher prices unit. ' ' It will be generally agreed that trade marks or brands should not be used to obtaiu an additional price oi 27 per eent. for the same product," saiti Mr McDonald. "The only elfective wa;, to avoid this is to relate the criteria contained iu standard specilicqtions to the registration of trade marks or brands. " Fanners' Evidence. Federated Fanners' statement wa.also presented before Ihe Patents ('om mission today. I11 it A f r. A. P. O'Shca urged a thorougli examination of all patents affeeting primary industries, so that fanners should not be asked to pay for things or processes either not novei or obvious adaptations of things already in existence. Fanners had 110 objectiotr to paying royalties 011 any articles for. •which tliey were due, but t'liey did object to paying royalties on some article phtented !>• an individual who had neither taken any part in its development or financed its develojmu-nt or investigation. There slioultl be also a scrut'iiy of overseas patents, so that 110 articie 111 conimon use in farming in New Zealand c on Id be patented elsewhere, said Mr. () 'fShea.