Registrar-Generals-Department-Annual-report-1969-1970 — Page 42

PART V

PATENTS REGISTRY

Patents Registrable

109. 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 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

110. The number of patents registered during the year rose by 109 to 540, which is the highest yearly total ever recorded. The numbers registered during the past five years have been as follows:

1965-66

1966--67

1967-68

286

1968-69

364

1969-70

...

338

431

540

111. Table XXIII shows the number of patents registered according to the countries of domicile of the grantees, with the previous year's figures for comparison. As will be seen, the United States of America, the United Kingdom and Switzerland remained in that order in the top three places. West Germany, fifth last year, has jumped to fourth posi- tion ousting Japan into fifth place.

Fees

112. Owing to the larger number of applications received during the year, the year's revenue amounted to the record total of $33,106, $6,245 more than in the previous year.

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