PATENTS FOR PLANTS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 203, 25 February 1914, Page 8

PATENTS FOR PLANTS.

sruuLvnox isy mil kirk. By Telegraph--Press Association. Auckland, Last Night. An interesting subject was mooted by Mr. T. W. Kirk (Director of the Orchards Division of the Department of Agriculture) in the course of a discussion at the Nurserymen's Conference on the desirability' of Certificating Boards. ''Why should not your society promote a Horticultural Industries liill, so that all new fruits and flowers could be registered, and you could have the sole right of propagating them for a period «f five years?" h e asked. The secretary of the Association, Mr. (!. A. (ireen, informed Mr. Kirk that the opinion of a well-known patent .firm had already been taken on the subject, and he had advised them that under the existing Patent Acts there was no reason why new varieties of flowers and fruits should not be registered in Australia and New Zealand. Mr. Kirk replied ihat he was not a lawyer, but he did not think thev could get the protection of existing 'Patent Acts. N.till, there was nothing to prevent thet'Society from framing a scheme whereby the full description and particulars relating to new varieties could be scheduled undvr a Patent Act. The subject was then dropped.