§ Mr. Campbell-Savoursasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much his Department charges inquirers by post or telephone for providing the name and address of the owner of a trade name in a given class of trade marks.
§ Mr. PattieNo charge is made for this simple information.
§ Mr. Campbell-Savoursasked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will carry out any investigations to find (a) the form in which trade name information would be most widely acceptable to inquirers throughout the UK; and (b) to evaulate the cost of each of the possible alternative forms of providing access to trade name information held at the Trade Marks Registry, with a view to keeping down the costs to industry and the public; and if he has carried out any similar evaluation in the past.
§ Mr. PattieI do not propose to commission any investigations. The Patent Office is to be hived off from the Civil Service and is charged to conduct its operations in an entrepreneurial fashion and with the needs of its users in mind. It will be for the office to keep under review how best to provide access to its various stores of information, including trade mark information.