Registrar-Generals-Department-Annual-report-1954-1955 — Page 18

PART IV

TRADE MARKS REGISTRY

Trade Marks Ordinance, No. 47 of 1954.

28. The new Trade Marks Ordinance, No. 47 of 1954, came into operation on the 1st January, 1955. It repealed the Trade Marks Ordinance (Cap. 43 of the 1950 Revised Edition of the Laws of Hong Kong), which was originally passed in 1909. Section 92 of the new Ordinance provides that the provisions of the old Ordinance should apply to all applications pending at the date of the commencement of the new Ordinance.

29. The new Ordinance is based substantially on the United Kingdom Trade Marks Act, 1938, and makes provision for Part B registrations (as in Section 2 of the United Kingdom Act of 1919), the assignment of Trade Marks with or without goodwill, the registration of Registered Users, and the registration of Defensive and Certification Trade Marks.

Searches and Inspections of the Register of Trade Marks.

30. 589 searches were made in the Register of Trade Marks during the year on requests whether there were any marks on the Register resembling marks submitted with the requests. Such searches are usually preliminary to applications for regis- tration. In addition, 921 inspections of the Register were made by the public.

Applications and Registrations.

31. There were 1,183 applications for the registration of Trade Marks under Section 12 of the old Ordinance, and (after 1st January, 1955) 347 under Section 13 of the new Ordinance- a total of 1,530. 1,099 applications were accepted. 1,141 Marks

12