PATENTS ACT.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 148, 17 March 1908, Page 7

PATENTS ACT.

—'—4-— ' ' A WONDERFUL STIMULUS TO INDUSTRY. V FOREIGNERS' FACTORIES. BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION —COPYRIGHT London, March 15. The President of tho Board of Trado (tho Right Hon. D. Lloyd-Georgo), speaking at Carnarvon, . said.., tho ..Patents Act was alroady '.bringing into tho country many foreign . .industries; He anticipated ' that they 'would: soon provide'- employment for' tens ,of.' thousands, of British .workmen. ' i The " Daily Mail " states that' the Beyer Company,-' with, a capital of .thirteen million -sterling', "and- representing' Elberfokl,' Berlin,- and.' companits, in other, places; have , bought : i24,'aci - es'.ill Cheshire, and will establish,.an. aniline, factory. - with the new Act, a recent .publication! states:—A 'check is now placed on the system' under . which :foreign manufacturers wero enabled to .. toko' out patents .in this country/, without, .any, intention of working them'., here.. ,' Tlie. Act' provides that. British patents may. be revoked when they are worked exclusively .or,-mainly abroad,/unless satisfactory' reasons can "be ■ given' why they.' are not worked in l tho;' United 'Kingdom. • It. enables compulsory,., licenses! ' to. .be obtained, where ■it f can be shown that any trade or industry in,' the .United Kingdom, is' unfairly prejudiced by, tho conditions T attaolied. by the. patentee, to the purchase, hire*'or lise of patented articles, or'the using or working of.patented processes; and means. have bcen_ provided whereby, existing contracts containing th'eso conditions can' be. determined" by'either '; party- on payment of reasonable'compensation'. . The '.report of tile Comptroller-General of Patents, Designs,, and Trade Marks shows "that out! of.'a 'tptal number of : 14,707 patentees■■ t,o .whom: .patents 7were. granted, in ,1906,, there were resident: 2595 in America, '2091 in. Ger- 1 many, 709 in-France, 257- iri . Austria-Hungary,' 190' m Switzerlaiid, 145 in Canada, 137 : in Belgium; :111 ; in: Italy, and 105 in Sweden. Tho, applications'were . 30,002 as against' 27,577 in' 1905. . The increase'is in a largo measure duo to : activity in, the ; motor industry. The chief developments in gas lighting relate l to inverted incandescent'burners. Thero was a 6onsiderablo iricreaso' ip connection/ with dyes, comprising new sulphur analogues of the in-, digo series. "' 7 .