Law

Patents Act 1949

United Kingdom · statute

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In force since 2010-06-05, as the publisher states.

Copy read on 2026-11-09. The page it was read from

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.

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Contents: 85 provisions
  1. Title and introductory text
  2. 1 Persons entitled to make application.
  3. 2 Application.
  4. 3 Complete and provisional specifications.
  5. 4 Contents of specification.
  6. 5 Priority date of claims of complete specification.
  7. 6 Examination of application.
  8. 7 Search for anticipation by previous publication.
  9. 8 Search for anticipation by prior claim.
  10. 9 Reference in case of potential infringement.
  11. 10 Refusal of application in certain cases.
  12. 11 Supplementary provisions as to searches, etc.
  13. 12 Time for putting application in order for acceptance.
  14. 13 Acceptance and publication of complete specification.
  15. 14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  16. 15 Refusal of patent without opposition.
  17. 16 Mention of inventor as such in patent.
  18. 17 Substitution of applicants, etc.
  19. 18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  20. 19 Grant and sealing of patent.
  21. 20 Amendment of patent granted to deceased applicant.
  22. 21 Extent, effect and form of patent.
  23. 22 Date and term of patent.
  24. 23 Extension on ground of inadequate remuneration.
  25. 24 Extension on ground of war loss.
  26. 25 Extension on ground of war loss of licensee.
  27. 26 Patents of addition.
  28. 27 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  29. 28 Restoration of lapsed applications for patents.
  30. 29 Amendment of specification with leave of comptroller.
  31. 30 Amendment of specification with leave of the court.
  32. 31 Supplementary provisions as to amendment of specification.
  33. 32 Revocation of patent by court.
  34. 33 Revocation of patent by comptroller.
  35. 34 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  36. 35 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  37. 42 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  38. 43 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  39. 46 Use of patented inventions for services of the Crown.
  40. 47 Rights of third parties in respect of Crown use.
  41. 48 Reference of disputes as to Crown use.
  42. 49 Special provisions as to Crown use during emergency.
  43. 50 Previous publication.
  44. 51 Previous communication, display or working.
  45. 52 Use and publication after provisional specification or foreign application.
  46. 53 Priority date in case of obtaining.
  47. 54 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  48. 55 Power of comptroller to give directions to co-owners.
  49. 56 Disputes as to inventions made by employees.
  50. 57 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  51. 59 Restrictions on recovery of damages for infringement.
  52. 60 Order for account in action for infringement.
  53. 61 Counterclaim for revocation in action for infringement.
  54. 62 Relief for infringement of partially valid specification.
  55. 63 Proceedings for infringement by exclusive licensee.
  56. 64 Certificate of contested validity of specification.
  57. 65 Remedy for groundless threats of infringement proceedings.
  58. 66 Power of court to make declaration as to non-infringement.
  59. 67 Reference to comptroller of disputes as to infringement.
  60. 68 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  61. 69 Supplementary provisions as to convention applications.
  62. 70 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  63. 71 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  64. 73 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  65. 76 Power to correct clerical errors, etc.
  66. 77 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  67. 80 Loss or destruction of patent.
  68. 81 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  69. 84 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  70. 87 Appeals to Court of Appeal and Court of Session.
  71. 88 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  72. 90 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  73. 92 Unauthorised assumption of Royal Arms.
  74. 93 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  75. 94 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  76. 96 Proceedings of Board of Trade.
  77. 97 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  78. 101 Interpretation.
  79. 102 Saving for Royal prerogative, etc.
  80. 103 Application to Scotland.
  81. 104 Application to Northern Ireland.
  82. 105 Isle of Man.
  83. 106 Repeals, transitional provisions and amendment.
  84. 107 Short title and commencement.
  85. FIRST SCHEDULE

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85 provisions

104 Application to Northern Ireland.

In the application of this Act to Northern Ireland— (1) All parties shall, notwithstanding anything in this Act, have in Northern Ireland their remedies under or in respect of a patent as if the same had been granted to extend to Northern Ireland only: (2) The provisions of this Act conferring a special jurisdiction on the court, as defined by this Act, shall not, except so far as the jurisdiction extends, affect the jurisdiction of any court in Northern Ireland in any proceedings relating to patents; and with reference to any such proceedings the term “the Court” means the High Court in Northern Ireland: (3) If any rectification of a register under this Act is required in pursuance of any proceeding in a court,a copy of the order, decree, or other authority for the rectification shall be served on the comptroller, and he shall rectify the register accordingly: (4) References to enactments of the Parliament of the United Kingdom shall be construed as references to those enactments as they apply in Northern Ireland: (5) References to a Government department shall be construed as including references to a department of the Government of Northern Ireland: (6) . . .

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105 Isle of Man.

This Act shall extend to the Isle of Man, subject to the following modifications:— (1) Nothing in this Act shall affect the jurisdiction of the courts in the Isle of Man in proceedings for infringement, or in any action or proceeding respecting a patent competent to those courts; (2) The punishment for a misdemeanour under this Act in the Isle of Man shall be imprisonment for any term not exceeding two years, with or without hard labour, and with or without a fine not exceeding one hundred pounds, at the discretion of the court: (3) Any offence under this Act committed in the Isle of Man which would in England be punishable on summary conviction may be prosecuted, and any fine in respect thereof recovered, at the instance of any person aggrieved, in the manner in which offences punishable on summary conviction may for the time being be prosecuted.

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106 Repeals, transitional provisions and amendment.

(1) Subject to the provisions of this section, the enactments specified in the Second Schedule to this Act are hereby repealed to the extent specified in the third column of that Schedule. (2) Without prejudice to the provisions of the Interpretation Act 1978, with respect to repeals, the transitional provisions set out in the Third Schedule to this Act shall have effect for the purposes of the transition to the provisions of this Act from the law in force before the commencement of the Patents and Designs Act 1949. (3) For subsection (8) of section twelve of the Atomic Energy Act, 1946, there shall be substituted the following subsection :— (8) The power of the Minister of Supply and persons authorised by the Minister of Supply under sections forty-six of the Patents Act, 1949, shall include power to make, use, exercise or vend an invention for such purposes relating to the production or use of atomic energy or research into matters connected therewith as the Minister thinks necessary or expedient, and any reference in that section or in sections forty-seven or forty-eight of that Act to the services of the Crown shall be construed as including a reference to those purposes.

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107 Short title and commencement.

(1) This Act may be cited as the Patents Act 1949. (2) This Act shall come into operation on the first day of January, nineteen hundred and fifty, immediately after the coming into operation of the Patents and Designs Act 1949.

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FIRST SCHEDULE

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