United Kingdom Patent Office

HC Deb 24 April 1972 vol 835 cc183-4W

Mr. Woof

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a further statement on how the United Kingdom Patent Office will be affected by negotiations now in progress for the establishment of a European Patent Office.

Mr. Noble

The negotiations now in progress for the establishment of a European Patent Office should not have any immediate effect upon the operations of the United Kingdom Patent Office. It is expected that a diplomatic conference for the conclusion of a European Patent Convention will be held in the autumn of 1973 and that after ratification of the Convention by a sufficient number of States, a European Patent Office will be set up. It is not possible to foresee when the European Patent Office would open; but it is expected that the operation of the European Patent Office would result in a progressive reduction in the number of patent applications filed in the United Kingdom Patent Office.