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1949 NEW ZEALAND

PATENTS, DESIGNS, AND TRADE-MARKS SIXTIETH 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 year 1948. The total number of applications for the grant of letters patent and for the registration of designs and trade-marks during the year was 4,137, being 523 less than the previous year. It is evident from the figures since 1945 that most of the applications, deferred during the war years have now been lodged and that henceforth only the normal volume of business may be expected. A substantial increase in the fees collected has again been recorded, the total being £24,498, representing an excess of £7,091 over expenditure. PATENTS The first patent legislation in New Zealand was enacted on 27th October, 1860,, but nearly eighty-eight years were to pass before a total of 100,000 applications werereceived in the Patent Office. That number was reached on 19th August, 1948, and. it is interesting to note that, while it took sixty-three years to record the first 50,000 applications, the second 50,000 were received in twenty-five years. The increasing; number of patent applications in recent years has been due mainly to the advances in the electronic and chemical fields, and the expansion of industry in this country. The 2,469 applications received during the year may be broadly classified asfollows : mechanical engineering, 737 ; electronics, 583 ; chemistry, 360 ; miscellaneous, 273 ; primary industries, 272 ; and building construction, 244. The countries from which applications are received showed little change, except that New Zealand (853) now takes the lead from Great Britain (636), United States of America (447), Australia (207), and Holland (159), with the remainder (167) distributed among fifteen other countries.