PATENTS, DESIGNS, AND TRADE-MARKS SIXTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER

Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1950 Session I, H-10

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1950 NEW ZEALAND

PATENTS, DESIGNS, AND TRADE-MARKS SIXTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER

Presented to Both Houses of the General Assembly Pursuant to Section 128 of the Patents, Designs, and Trade-marks Act, 1921-22

REPORT

I have the honour, pursuant to section 128, to submit my report on the administration of the Patents, Designs, and Trade-marks Act, 1921-22, during the year 1949. The total number of applications for the grant of letters patent and for the registration of designs and trade-marks during the year was 3,531. The full effect of the war upon the flow of applications can now be seen from Table G in the Appendix, which gives the figures for the last twenty years. Fees amounted to £24,118. These were £3BO less than the record, £24,498, received in the previous year. The excess of receipts over expenditure was £4,555, which is the lowest since 1917. PATENTS The number of patent applications for the year was 1,984, and may be broadly classified as follows: mechanical engineering, 443; electronics, 419 ; primary industries, 344 ; miscellaneous, 314 ; chemistry, 262 ; and building construction, 202. New Zealand (804), Great Britain (519), United States of America (311), and Australia (175) were the principal countries from which the applications were received. Further substantial progress was made during the year in examining the large volume of applications received since the termination of hostilities, and 2,596 cases proceeded to acceptance. TRADE-MARKS Applications for the registration of trade-marks, totalling 1,292, were received from twenty-two countries, the principal being Great Britain with 465; New Zealand, 458 ; Australia, 152 ; and the United States of America, 118. The remainder, 99, included 10 each from Germany and Italy. All thirty-four classes of goods were covered by the applications, but Classes 25, 5, 24, and 3 again predominated with 172, 134, 114, and 92 respectively. The registration of 1,144 trade-marks was renewed during the year.

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DESIGNS An increase in the number of applications for the registration of designs was recorded, the total being 255, against 229 for the preceding year. Class 1, with 109 applications, was followed by Classes 4 (47), 3 (46), and 5 (22). PATENTS COMMISSION The Patents Commission concluded its hearings on 29th August, 1949, and two extensions of time have carried forward to 30th June, 1950, the date by which it is required to submit its report. CONCLUSION The Appendix hereto contains the following tables, lists, &c., viz. : A. Receipts and Payments Account for the Year Ended 31st December, 1949. B. Table Showing Receipts and Payments for Each of the Last Ten Years. C. Total Number of Applications for Patents and for Registration of Designs and Trade-marks Recorded for Each of the Last Twenty Years. A. H. Ihle, Commissioner of Patents, Designs, and Trade-marks. The Patent Office, Wellington, 23rd February, 1950.

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APPENDIX

PATENT OFFICE A. Receipts and Payments Account for the Year Ended 31.st December, 1949 Receipts | Payments £ | £ Patent fees .. .. .. 18,072 Salaries .. .. .. .. 15,016 Design fees .. .. .. 166 Fuel, light, power, and water .. 69 /Trade-mark fees .. .. .. 5,778 Office furniture and equipment .. 75 Sales of Acts, Journals, &c.— £ Rent, maintenance, and repairs .. 102 At the Government Printing office 94 Patent Office Journal .. .. 3,446 At the Patent Office .. .. 8 Postage, telegrams, and telephones .. 192 102 Printing and stationery, &c. .. ... 625 Refunds ... .. .. .. 38 Balance, cash in Public Account .. 4,555 £24,118 £24,118 A. H. Ihle, Commissioner of Patents. I hereby certify that the Statement of Receipts and Payments has been duly examined and compared with the relative books and documents submitted for audit, and correctly states the position as disclosed thereby. Copyright fees are not included.J. P. Rutherford, Controller and Auditor-General.

B. Table Showing Receipts and Payments for Each of the Last Ten Years

C. Total Number of applications for Patents and for Registration of Designs and Trade-marks Recorded for Each of the Last Twenty Years

Approximate Con of Paper. —-Preparation, oot eiven ; printing (736 copies), £6.

By Authority: R. E. Owen, Government Printer, Wellington. —1950.

Price 3d.]

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Year. Receipts. Payments. Surplus. Year. Receipts. Payments. Surplus. £ £ £ £ £ £ 1940 12,241 6,076 6,165 1945 17,247 6,569 10,678 1941 13,148 5,713 7,435 1946 18,891 7,586 11,305 1942 11,668 5,900 5,768 1947 21,919 13,654 8,265 1943 13,657 4,824 8,833 1948 24,498 17,407 7,091 1944 15,631 5,032 10,599 1949 24,118 19,563 4,555

Year. Patent*. designs. 2S Total. | Year. J Patents. Designs. Trade- | marks. Total. 1930 2,103 169 1,265 3,537 1940 1,277 108 626 2,011 1931 2,065 151 999 3,215 1941 1,214 108 534 1,856 1932 1,845 164 925 2,934 1942 1,104 60 398 1,562 1933 1,761 143 814 2,718 1943 1,384 61 678 2,123 1934 1,766 146 915 2,827 1944 2,045 104 924 3,073 1935 1,730 185 943 2,858 1945 2,651 188 1,320 4,159 1936 1,836 124 1,096 3,056 1946 3,025 351 1,766 5,142 1937 1,832 193 889 2,914 1947 2,753 237 1,670 4,660 1938 1,960 160 860 2,980 1948 2,469 229 1,439 4,137 1939 1,821 137 694 2,652 1949 1,984 255 1,292 3,531