statute before judgment thereupon had, (8) and all proclamations, inhibitions, restraints, warrants of assistance, and all other matters and things whatsoever anyway tending to the institution, erecting, strengthening, furthering, or countenancing of the same or any of them, (9) are altogether contrary to the laws of this realm and so are and shall be utterly void and of none effect and in no wise to be put in use or execution.

SEC. 6. Provided also and be it declared and enacted, That any declaration before mentioned shall not extend to any letters patents and grants of privilege for the term of fourteen years or under hereafter to be made of the sole working or making of any manner of new manufactures within this realm to the true and first inventor and inventors of such manufactures which others at the time of making such letters patents and grants shall not use, so as also they be not contrary to the law nor mischievous to the State by raising prices of commodities at home, or hurt of trade, or generally inconvenient, the said fourteen years to be accounted from the date of the first letters patent or grant of such privilege hereafter to be made, but that the same shall be of such force as they should be if this Act had never been made and of none other.

[7 Edw. 7, Ch. 29.]

An Act to consolidate the enactments relating to patents for inventions and the registration of designs and certain enactments relating to trade-marks (so far as it relates to patents). [28th August, 1907.]

Be it enacted by the King's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

PART I.-PATENTS.

APPLICATION FOR AND GRANT OF PATENT.

Application.

1. (1) An application for a patent may be made by any person who claims to be the true and first inventor of an invention, whether he is a British subject or not, and whether alone or jointly with any other person.

(2) The application must be made in the prescribed form, and must be left at, or sent by post to, the Patent Office in the prescribed

manner.

(3) The application must contain a declaration to the effect that the applicant is in possession of an invention, whereof he, or in the case of a joint application one at least of the applicants, claims to be

the true and first inventor, and for which he desires to obtain a patent, and must be accompanied by either a provisional or complete specification.

(4) The declaration required by this section may be either a statutory declaration or not, as may be prescribed.

Specifications.

2. (1) A provisional specification must describe the nature of the invention.

(2) A complete specification must particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the invention and the manner in which the same is to be performed.

(3) In the case of any provisional or complete specification, where the comptroller deems it desirable, he may require that suitable drawings shall be supplied with the specification, or at any time before the acceptance of the same, and such drawings shall be deemed to form part of the said specification.

(4) A specification, whether provisional or complete, must commence with the title, and in the case of a complete specification must end with a distinct statement of the invention claimed.

(5) Where the invention in respect of which an application is made is a chemical invention, such typical samples and specimens as may be prescribed shall, if in any particular case the comptroller considers it desirable so to require, be furnished before the acceptance of the complete specification.

Proceedings upon application.

3. (1) The comptroller general of patents, designs, and trademarks (hereinafter referred to as the comptroller) shall refer every application to an examiner.

(2) If the examiner reports that the nature of the invention is not fairly described, or that the application, specification, or drawings have not been prepared in the prescribed manner, or that the title does not sufficiently indicate the subject matter of the invention, the comptroller may refuse to accept the application or require that the application, specification, or drawings be amended before he proceeds with the application; and in the latter case the application shall, if the comptroller so directs, bear date as from the time when the requirement is complied with.

(3) Where the comptroller refuses to accept an application or requires an amendment, the applicant may appeal from his decision to the law officer, who shall, if required, hear the applicant and the comptroller, and may make an order determining whether and subject to what conditions (if any) the application shall be accepted.

(4) The comptroller shall, when an application has been accepted, give notice thereof to the applicant.

Provisional protection-Time for leaving complete specification.

4. Where an application for a patent in respect of an invention has been accepted, the invention may during the period between the date of the application and the date of sealing such patent be used and published without prejudice to the patent to be granted for the invention; and such protection from the consequences of use and publication is in this Act referred to as provisional protection.

5. (1) If the applicant does not leave a complete specification with his application, he may leave it at any subsequent time within six months from the date of the application: Provided, That where an application is made for an extension of the time for leaving a complete specification, the comptroller shall, on payment of the prescribed fee, grant an extension of time to the extent applied for but not exceeding one month.

(2) Unless a complete specification is so left the application shall be deemed to be abandoned.

Comparison of provisional and complete specification.

6. (1) Where a complete specification is left after a provisional specification, the comptroller shall refer both specifications to an examiner.

(2) If the examiner reports that the complete specification has not been prepared in the prescribed manner, the comptroller may refuse to accept the complete specification until it has been amended to his satisfaction.

(3) If the examiner reports that the invention particularly described in the complete specification is not substantially the same as that which is described in the provisional specification, the comptroller may

(a) Refuse to accept the complete specification until it has been amended to his satisfaction; or

(b) (with the consent of the applicant) Cancel the provisional specification and treat the application as having been made on the date at which the complete specification was left, and the application shall have effect as if made on that date:

Provided, That where the complete specification includes an invention not included in the provisional specification, the comptroller may allow the original application to proceed so far as the invention included both in the provisional and in the complete specification is concerned, and treat the claim for the additional invention included:

in the complete specification as an application for that invention made on the date at which the complete specification was left.

(4) A refusal of the comptroller to accept a complete specification shall be subject to appeal to the law officer, who shall, if required, hear the applicant and the comptroller and may make an order determining whether and subject to what conditions (if any) the complete specification shall be accepted.

(5) Unless a complete specification is accepted within twelve months from the date of the application, the application shall (except where an appeal has been lodged) become void: Provided, That where an application is made for an extension of time for the acceptance of a complete specification, the comptroller shall, on payment of the prescribed fee, grant an extension of time to the extent applied for but not exceeding three months.

Investigation of previous specifications in United Kingdom on applications for patents.

7. (1) Where an application for a patent has been made and a complete specification has been left, the examiner shall, in addition to the other inquiries which he is directed to make by this Act, make a further investigation for the purpose of ascertaining whether the invention claimed has been wholly or in part claimed or described in any specification (other than a provisional specification not followed by a complete specification) published before the date of the application, and left pursuant to any application for a patent made in the United Kingdom within fifty years next before the date of the application.

(2) If on investigation it appears that the invention has been wholly or in part claimed or described in any such specification, the applicant shall be informed thereof, and the applicant may, within such time as may be prescribed, amend his specification, and the amended specification shall be investigated in like manner as the original specification.

(3) If the comptroller is satisfied that no objection exists to the specification on the ground that the invention claimed thereby has been wholly or in part claimed or described in a previous specification as before mentioned, he shall, in the absence of any other lawful ground of objection, accept the specification.

(4) If the comptroller is not so satisfied, he shall, after hearing the applicant, and unless the objection is removed by amending the specification to the satisfaction of the comptroller, determine whether a reference to any, and, if so, what prior specifications ought to be made in the specification by way of notice to the public: Provided, That the comptroller, if satisfied that the invention claimed has been

wholly and specifically claimed in any specification to which the investigation has extended, may, in lieu of requiring references to be made in the applicant's specification as aforesaid, refuse to grant a patent.

(5) An appeal shall lie from the decision of the comptroller under this section to the law officer.

(6) The investigations and reports required by this section shall not be held in any way to guarantee the validity of any patent, and no liability shall be incurred by the Board of Trade or any officer thereof by reason of, or in connection with, any such investigation or report, or any proceeding consequent thereon.

Investigation of specifications published subsequently to application.

8. (1) An investigation under the last preceding section shall extend to specifications published after the date of the application in respect of which the investigation is made, and being specifications which have been deposited pursuant to prior applications; and that section shall, subject to rules under this Act, have effect accordingly. (2) Where, on such an extended investigation, it appears that the invention claimed in the specification deposited pursuant to an application is wholly or in part claimed in any published specification deposited pursuant to a prior application, the applicant shall, whether or not his specificatin has been accepted or a patent granted to him, be afforded such facilities as may be prescribed for amending his specification, and in the event of his failing to do so the comptroller shall, in accordance with such procedure as may be prescribed. determine what reference, if any, to other specifications ought to be made in his specification by way of notice to the public.

(3) For the purpose of this section an application shall be deemed to be prior to another application if the patent applied for when granted would be of prior date to the patent granted pursuant to that other application.

(4) This section shall come into operation at such date as the Board of Trade may by order direct, and shall apply only to applications made after that date, and the order shall be laid before both Houses of Parliament.

Advertisement on acceptance of complete specification.

9. On the acceptance of the complete specification the comptroller shall advertise the acceptance; and the application and specifications with the drawings (if any) shall be open to public inspection.

Effect of acceptance of complete specification.

10. After the acceptance of a complete specification and until the date of sealing a patent in respect thereof, or the expiration of the