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1908. NEW ZEALAND.

PATENTS, DESIGNS, AND TRADE MARKS: NINETEENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE REGISTRAR.

Presented to both Houses of the General Auembly pursuant tn Section 128 of " The Patent t, Designs, and Trade Marks Act, 1889.''

In pursuance of section 128 of "The Patents, Designs, and Trade Marks Act, 1889," I have the honour to submit my report on the operations of the Patent Office for the year 1907. During the year 2,359 applications were received in respect of patents, designs, and trade marks. This is a greater number than the total for any previous year with the exception of 1900, in which 2,483 applications were recorded. The revenue amounted to £5,916 4s. 6d., the highest yet received in one year, and the expenditure to £2,602 4s. lOd. This amount is in excess of that for 1906, the difference (£364 ss. 9d.) being accounted for by the increased quantity of work done for this office by the Government Printing Office —£1,254 12s. 2d., as compared with £971 3s. 4d. —and to increases in salaries (£100) on changes in the office staff. The balance, £3,313 19s. Bd., brings the amount received in excess of the expenditure since the commencement of the present Act up to £41,803 17s. Id. PATENTS. There were 1,618 applications for patents, a number exceeded in 1906, but not in any former year. Nine hundred and forty-one provisional specifications and 677 complete specifications were left with the applications, and 308 complete specifications in respect of applications with which provisional specifications had alread\ been lodged, making a total of 1,921 specifications for the year, as compared with 2,055 in 1906. The proportion of complete specifications lodged in the first instance to the provisional specifications filed was considerably higher than it has been for some time past, and a correspondingly greater number of applications may be expected to proceed to the sealing stage. The applications received were dealt with as follows: —

The fees received in respect of patents amounted to £4,847 os. Bd., an increase on the total for the preceding year of £222 9a. Bd., due chiefly to the greater number of patents on which the gealing-fee was paid during the year— -i.e., 756, as compared with 644 in 1906. Renewal fees also yielded a slightly larger amount, but the fees for registration of assignments, enlargements of

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Aooepted without Alteration. Accepted on Alteration. Not accepted. After being questioned After being questioned. On Ground of On Ground Without being questioned. On Ground On Ground of Want of of Novelty. Informality. On Ground of Want of Novelty. On Ground of Informality. _L Want of Novelty. of Informality. 61-6 II-β 1-7 4-7 90 9-7 1-9