The New British Patent Act.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 255, 1 November 1904, Page 4

The New British Patent Act.

Messrs Baldwin and Raywaixi, Patent Attorneys, write us as follows : A large number of your readers who are concerned in inventions will Le interested to know that the recommendations of the British Royal Royal Commission, which was set up for thu purpose of inquiring into and recommending improvements in the Patent Law, will shortly take full effect...An amendment of the Patent Acts carrjrag out their suggestions will come into force on Jan. 1 next. An important alteration from the existing l a w is the reduction of tho term of provisional protection from nine to six months, but the most important departure is the provision for examination of applications a» to novelty of the inventions for which patents are sought. Under the existing. Act, patents are granted to the applicant without regard to the novelty or otherwise of the invention, but under the new Act a search will be made in tho British patent records for the preceding fifty years to ascertain ii the inven tion has been anticipated. If there has been full anticipation, patent will not bo grunted, but if the invention is only partly anticipated in prior patents then the applicant will bo allowed to amend and restii.t his claims and will be granted patent for those features of his invention which have not previously been patented in Great Britain. Tho new law brings the practice very much into accord with thut of the United States except that in the latter country examination is made in the German and British records as well as in the records of the States office.