Registrar-Generals-Department-Annual-report-1968-1969 — Page 41

without evidence of distinctiveness by way of user in Hong Kong. In the fifth case, which related to an application to register a trade mark com- prising the words FIFTY-FIFTY and a device of a cigarette in silhouette form in Class 34 (in respect of tobacco, whether manu- factured or unmanufactured) cigarettes and cigars), Mr. MCLEAN held that the mark had a direct reference to the character of the goods and was therefore not registrable.

Statistics

104. Part I of Table XXI gives statistics of applications, registra- tions, renewals, cancellations, removals and restorations, for the ten years 1959-60 to 1968-69, and Part II gives statistics of miscellaneous other work done during the year with the corresponding figures for the previous year. It will be seen from Part I of this Table that the numbers of renewals and removals showed small increases at 1,722 and 879 respectively. The renewals effected were in respect of marks registered in April to December 1954 under the old Ordinance (and therefore valid for 14 years) and of marks registered in 1961-62 under the present Ordinance, valid for seven years.

Fees

105. Fees collected rose by $101,358 over the 1967-68 figures to the new record total of $517,481. The increase in revenue is attributable mainly to the increase in the number of Trade Mark applications received during the year as well as to the higher fees chargeable in respect of applications for registration and renewals of registrations under the Trade Marks (Amendment) Rules 1968, which came into operation on 1st July 1968. Particulars of fees collected are given in Table XXII.

PART V

PATENTS REGISTRY

Patents Registrable

106. 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. 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

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