RESTRICTIONS ON PRACTICE AS PATENT AGENT

HC Deb 22 July 1977 vol 935 cc2086-7

Mr. Clinton Davis

I beg to move Amendment No. 39, in page 97, line 38, leave out 'member of the body and' and insert ',where the body's affairs are managed by its members, every member of the body and in any event,'.

Mr. Deputy Speaker

With this we may take Government Amendment No. 42.

Mr. Davis

As at present drafted, subsection (2)(b) requires, in the case of every body corporate which began to carry on business as a patent agent before 17th November 1977, that every director and member of the body must be registered as a patent agent before the body can describe itself as a patent agent. That would mean that all the shareholders of the company which began to carry on business as a patent agent after that date would have to be professionally qualified. That would be somewhat difficult and undesirable. It is not what was intended.

The members referred to are meant to be those persons who control bodies corporate and exercise functions equivalent to those of a director.

The first of the amendments corrects the reference accordingly and the second deletes the definition of "director" in Clause 128(1), because there is no longer the need for a general definition applicable to the whole Act.

Amendment agreed to.