RIGHTS OF PATENTEES

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 307, 23 September 1919, Page 5

RIGHTS OF PATENTEES

PROPOSED BRITISH INSTITUTE. A meeting of the proposed Imperial Institute of Patentees was held jn London recently under the auspices of the National Union of Manufacturers,' for the purpose of considering and formulating a policy for the protection of the rights of patentees. . Sir Joseph Lawrence, who presided, said.there had lonpf been great need for ft combination between inventors and patentees,, and what was proposed now was. by means of this new institute, to create an organisation whi'ch would, enable patentees and patent owners to secure some amelioration of the conditions under ■which patents were worked. It would be an organisation whioh would represent hundreds of millions of capital and hiindreds of thousands of people engaged in, or directly interested, .in industries. Among other things they proposed to ' ask the Government to give an extension of time to thoes patents which had been held up during the war, especially in the case of controlled 'firms. The period of extension which had been suggested was five years—(cheers)—that beine the term of the war during which the patents had'been held up. That tvae a definite object upon 'which the institute might begin its work. (Hear, hear.) The magnitude of the interests the institute ■would represent might be inferred from the fact that during the three years preceding the war the number of patents sealed and of designs and trade marks registered were over 187,000. Not the least -important part of the ■ work which the institute could undertake would be the assistance of the struggling inventor—(cheers)—at least to enable him to take out his patent. At. present it cost, from first to kst, JilOO to obtain and maintain a patent in England for fourteen years, whereas in America the charges were only £7 ss. 10d. for seventeen years. He held that it was the duty of the State to assist the inventor and not to make a profit out of him. (Hear, hear.) ■ ■ The meeting agreed by resolution to the formation of an. organisation "to ■ safeguard and promote the interests of patentees," and pledged itself, "to use nil legitimate means to obtain from Parliament an extension of the life of patents which had been. prevented from working and developing in consequence 'of the ivar," and further expressed the opinion that "an alteration of the law was desirable in the interest of manufacturers and for the purposes, of reconstruction." It was also dee'ded that a deputation should present .this resolution to the President of the Board of Trade.