H.-10.

1933. NEW ZEALAND

PATENTS, DESIGNS, AND TRADE-MARKS. FORTY-FOURTH 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, in accordance with section 128, to submit my report on the administration of the Act during the past year. The total fees received by the Office during the year in respect of patents, designs, and trade-marks amount to £12,034 19s. 4d. The expenditure for the year has been carefully controlled, the total sum expended amounting to £4,782 75., being a decrease of £684 os. Bd. on the outgoings for 1931. The surplus of receipts over payments in 1932 was £7,252 12s. 4d., which, in view of present economic conditions, must be regarded as very satisfactory. It is also gratifying that, notwithstanding the industrial difficulties of the last few years, the average revenue, and the average surplus, for the five-year period from 1928 to 1932, exceeds the corresponding averages for the previous five-year period. The total surplus of the Office since Ist January, 1890, is now £181,762 16s. 4d. A. total of 2,934 applications for the grant of letters patent, and for the registration of designs and trade-marks, was received during the year. Patents. Applications for patents received during the year numbered 1,845, being a decrease of 218 on the figures for 1931, when 2,065 applications were received. Applications to the number of 629 (736) were received from countries beyond New Zealand. Applications for patents by applicants resident in New Zealand totalled 1,216 (1,330). In 1,192 (1,300) cases the applications were lodged with provisional specifications, and 654 (766) applications were accompanied by a complete specification. The number of complete specifications lodged in respect of applications for which a provisional specification had previously been lodged was 280 (256). As at 31st December, 1932, the total number of applications was 70,141, and the number ot patents in force at that date totalled 8,126, made up as follows : Patents sealed and third-year fees paid from the 31st December, 1929, to the 31st December, 1932, 3,097 and 2,143 respectively ; sixthyear fees from the 31st December, 1922, to the 31st December, 1932, 2,880; patents m respect of which an extension of their term has been granted by Order of the Supreme Court, 6. The amount of £8,614 16s. lid. was received during the year on account of patent fees, as against the corresponding amount of £9,231 17s. for 1931. In 2 (2) cases, lapsed patents were restored to the Register, and in 1 (2) cases letters patent were sealed after the prescribed time. There have been increases in the number of applications received in 1932, over those received in 1931, in the following classes of invention : Telephony and telegraphy (including phonographs, &c.), 210 (180) ; electricity and magnetism, 95 (86) ; indicating, calculating, and measuring (including moisture-testers), 65 (50) ; medicines and surgical appliances (including ear-instruments, dental work, &c), 49 (27) ; sheep and cattle (including veterinary appliances), 39 (23) : sewing and knitting, 32 (11) ; boots and shoes, 26 (20). Slight increases took place in inventions relating to cultivating and tilling, 52 (49) ; milking-machines, 50 (46) ; and dairying, 45 (44). The number of applications recorded in regard to building-construction shows a decline from 144 in 1931, to 95 in 1932. The following classes also show a decline : Boxes, cans, and casks, 90 (100) • vehicles, 69 (83) ; illuminating (except gas-manufacture), 54 (68) ; furniture and upholstery, desks, blinds, curtains, &c, 42 (73) ; shop and hotel fittings, 28 (35) ; bottles, bottling, and glassworking, 21 (38) ; printing and photography, 18 (34) ; railways and tramways, 14 (29) ; fibre-dressing (including rope-making), 12 (28) ; brewing, distilling, &c, 6 (14) ; chemicals, 5 (13).