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1894. NEW ZEALAND.

PATENTS, DESIGNS, AND TRADE-MARKS. (FIFTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE REGISTRAR.)

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly pursuant to Section 128 of " The Patents, Designs, and Trade-marks Act, 1882."

In compliance with the provisions of "The Patents, Designs, and Trade-marks Act, 1889," I have the honour to report as follows on the business of the Patent Office during the year ended 31st December, 1893: — 2. The Appendix to this report contains the following returns : — A. Balance-sheet of revenue and expenditure, with particulars thereof. B. List of the staff and salaries. C. Return of applications for patents in each year from 1861 to 1889, under Acts now repealed, showing numbers lapsed and numbers in force. D. Return of provisional and conmlete specifications received in 1890, 1891, 1892, and 1893 under the Act of 1889. E. Classified return of applications to register trade-marks during 1891, 1892, and 1893. The Act requiring exporters of butter to use a registered trade-mark has caused a very large increase in the number of marks registered in Class 42. It will be observed that they number nearly as many as all the other trade-marks put together. F. Nature of inventions for which letters patent have been applied for during 1893. It will be noticed that treating metals for gold-saving and other purposes is the subject of a large proportion of patents. G. Total number of applications relative to patents, designs, and trade-marks during 1890, 1891, 1892, and 1893. H. Alphabetical list of applicants for letters patent in 1893. I. Chronological list of applications for letters patent in 1893. J. Return showing the countries and colonies from which applications for letters patent have been received during 1891, 1892, and 1893. New Zealand shows the greatest increase in number. K. Return showing the countries and colonies from which applications for registration of trade-marks have been received during 1891, 1892, and 1893. In these the United Kingdom is next to New Zealand in number. 3. Table G shows that the business of the office is still growing. The revenue continues steadily to increase, being £2,150 in 1893, as against £1.825 in 1892. The excess of receipts over expenditure is £1,753, as against £1,463 in 1892. 4. I again urge that some, at least, of this surplus revenue should be spent for the benefit and encouragement of inventors, as indicated in previous reports. 5. It will be observed in Table J. that applications for letters patent have been received this year from Holland and India for the first time under the present Act. 6. For much valuable information relative to the various applications made to the office, I beg leave to refer to the Patent Office Supplement to the New Zealand Gazette, published fortnightly. 7. The following countries and colonies have joined the International Convention for the Protection of Patentees' Rights and other purposes : Great Britain, United States, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Servia, Switzerland, Tunis, San Domingo, Guatemala, Brazil, New Zealand, Queensland, Curacoa and Surinam, and East Indian Colonies of the Netherlands. Under this Convention any person who has secured protection in any one of the contracting States may, without danger of losing his rights through piracy, or prior publication, apply for letters patent in an)' of the other States within the period of seven months from his first application. Trade-marks are similarly protected for four months. It is hoped that other British colonies will soon join the Convention. 8. As stated last year, arrangements have been made between the Colony of Victoria and this colony for such reciprocal protection. 9. Attention is invited to the remarks and suggestions made in my report of 1892, which still hold good.

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