Registrar-Generals-Department-Annual-report-1961-1962 — Page 31

Patents Registrable

PART V

PATENTS REGISTRY

61. There is no original registration of patents in Hong Kong, but patents granted in the United Kingdom may be registered under the Registration of United Kingdom Patents Ordinance (Cap. 42). This provides that the grantee of a patent in the United Kingdom, or any person deriving his right from the grantee may, within five years from the date of issue of the patent, apply to have it registered here, and that such registration shall confer the same rights as though the patent had been issued in the United Kingdom with an extension to Hong Kong. Applications must be accompanied by a certified copy of the United Kingdom specification and a certificate from the Comptroller General of the United Kingdom Patent Office giving full particulars of the issue of the patent.

Patents Registered

62. There has in the past three years been a marked increase in the number of patents registered in the Colony. Whereas the average number registered annually during the years 1950-51 to 1958-59 was 40, the numbers registered in the years 1959-60, 1960-61 and 1961-62 were 102, 106, and 178 respectively. These increased registrations are no doubt due to the rapidly growing importance of the Colony as a manufacturing

centre.

63. Table XVIII gives the countries of domicile of the grantees of the patents registered during the year. Eighteen countries appear on the list, the United Kingdom leading with 60 grantees closely followed by the United States with 56. Hong Kong is third with 15, and Italy and rather surprisingly Denmark are fourth and fifth with 10 and 9 respectively.

Fees

64. Fees collected amounted to $8,933, $3,495 more than in the previous year.

PART VI

Explanatory

MARRIAGE REGISTRY

65. All marriages, except non-Christian customary marriages, are governed by the provisions of the Marriage Ordinance (Cap. 181), a

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