MADE IN NEW ZEALAND.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 390, 26 August 1911, Page 5

MADE IN NEW ZEALAND.

j A PATENT LAW INNOVATION. | ! Wellington, Wednesday. j An important clause in the Patents, Designs and Trade Marks Act Amendment Bill was accepted to-night by the House of Representatives. It provides that at any time not less than four years after the date uf a patent, and not le3S than a year after the passing of the Act, any person may petition the Court for revocation of the patent, on the grounds that the patented article is manufactured mainly or exclusively outside New Zealand. The Court may, if it is satisfied of this fact, order the revocation forthwith within a certain periud, so that the patentee may have an oportunity of carrying out the manufacture in New Zealand.

Mr Russell congratulated the Government upon the introduction of so progressive a piece of legislation. The result of a similar clause being adopted in Britain was that a single group of German dye manufacturers had to spend £200.000 in the erection of works in the British Isles. Works had also been started for electrical | machinery and pottery, and an Amerii can company had to lease English i works for the manufacture of safety razors. Some step would have to be taken to prevent the capture of an industry by the Americans, as was done in the case of the linotype, with unsatisfactory results for the users. He understood that a machine, for which the American combine charged £7OO, could be got for £2OO in Germany. Replying to Mr Herries, the Minister stated that he would have a clause drafted to provide that so long as a patent was worked in Britain a foreign patent would not be taken in prefer- i ence. i

Mr Massey agreed with the principle, but pointed out that there might be same little arrangement between a manufacturer in New Zealand and a patentee outside, under which the people might be exploited. As for the danger of their countries wiping out Britain's manufacturers, he was glad to see by recent statistics that Britain was quite holding its own. Mr Herries suggested that it might be made a condition that any objector should be prepared to commence work in the country. It would not do for anyone to object, quash the patent and not start to manufacture.

The Minister suggested that the clause should be put through unaltered and that the additional clauses should be added put in subsequently. This was agreed to and the clause was adopted.