525
2. These amendments have been suggested by the Secretary of State in his despatch of the 27th February, 1932.
3 The Secretary of State points out that the fundamental principle underlying the grant of a patent is that monopoly rights are granted to the patentee for a term of years in consideration for the disclosure of his invention. If by manufacture, use or sale an invention has already been surrendered, such disclosure is therefore a bar to the acquisition of valid patent rights. The words "by some person or persons other than the holder of the certificate", which were included in the amendment effected by Ordinance No. 38 of 1931, appear to be contrary to this principle as they suggested that any person who desired to exploit an invention disclosed in Hong Kong by the inventor and subsequently patented in the United Kingdom would have no redress against the grant of exclusive privileges in Hong Kong to the United Kingdom patentee, unless such exploitation were commenced before the date of the United Kingdom patent.
April, 1932.
C. G. ALABASTER,
Attorney General.
[No. 10-16.4.32.-3.]
C.S.O. 2 in 4299/32.
A BILL
INTITULED
An Ordinance to amend the law relating to Vagrancy.
Be it enacted by the Governor of Hong Kong, with the advice and consent of the Legislative Council thereof, as follows:
1. This Ordinance may be cited as the Vagrancy Amend- Short title. ment Ordinance, 1932.
2. Section 2 of the Vagrancy Ordinance, 1897, is Amendment amended as follows:--
of Ordinance No. 9 of
Paragraph (b) is relettered paragraph (c) and the follow- 1897, s. 2. ing paragraph is inserted immediately after paragraph (a):--
c. 83, s. 3.
(b) "Mendicant" means any person wandering abroad, 5 Geo 4, or placing himself or herself in any public place, street, highway, court, passage or waterway to beg or gather alms, or causing or procuring or encouraging any child or children so to do; and "Mendicancy" shall be interpreted accordingly.