New Zealand Legislation: Acts
Acts are laws made by Parliament
(1) Where an application has been made to the Commissioner for the grant of a patent, and it appears to the Commissioner that the invention which is the subject-matter of the application relates to the production or use of energy derived from the atomic nucleus or research into matters connected therewith he shall serve a notice in writing on the Minister of Defence to that effect, and may, notwithstanding anything in this Act or any other Act, omit or delay the doing of anything which he would otherwise be required to do in relation to the application, and give directions for prohibiting or restricting the publication of information with respect to the subject-matter of the application or the communication of that information to particular persons or classes of persons; and any person who contravenes any such direction commits an offence against this section.
(2) Where the Minister of Defence is notified as aforesaid, he shall forthwith consider whether the invention which is the subject-matter of the application in question is of importance for purposes of defence, and may inspect all documents and information furnished to the Commissioner in connection with the application, and if he is satisfied either then or subsequently that the invention is not of importance for purposes of defence he shall serve a notice in writing on the Commissioner to that effect, and thereupon the Commissioner shall cease to exercise his powers under subsection (1) of this section in relation to that application and shall forthwith revoke any directions given under those powers in relation thereto.
(3) Where any notice is given by or to the Commissioner under the foregoing provisions of this section in relation to any application, he shall serve a copy of the notice on the applicant.
(4) Where, on an application to the Commissioner for the grant of a patent, a notice has been served under subsection (1) of this section and 6 months have elapsed from the date of the service of that notice without the service of a notice under subsection (2) of this section in relation to that application, any person who has, before the date of the application, incurred expense or done work in connection with the discovery or development of the invention concerned shall be entitled to be paid such compensation in respect of that expense or work as the Minister of Defence may, with the approval of the Minister of Finance, determine, and the compensation shall not in any case be less than the amount of the expense reasonably so incurred, and the amount of that expense shall, in default of agreement between the Minister of Defence and that person, be settled by arbitration:
Provided that, if a notice is subsequently served by the Minister of Defence under subsection (2) of this section in relation to the application, there shall be recoverable by the Minister of Defence as a debt due to the Crown such part of the compensation paid to any person under this subsection in connection with the invention concerned as may be reasonable, having regard to the length of the period during which powers were exercised under subsection (1) of this section in relation to the application and all the other circumstances of the case; and the amount to be so recovered shall, in default of agreement between the Minister of Defence and the said person, be settled by arbitration.
(5) Where the Commissioner in the exercise of powers under subsection (1) of this section omits or delays the doing of anything or gives directions for prohibiting or restricting the publication or communication of information, he may, subject to such conditions, if any, as he thinks fit to impose, extend the time limit by or under this Act for doing any act where he is satisfied that an extension ought to be granted by reason of the exercise of the powers aforesaid.
(6) The right of a person to apply for, or obtain, a patent in respect of an invention shall not be prejudiced by reason only of the fact that the invention has previously been communicated to the Minister of Defence under this section, and a patent in respect of an invention shall not be held to be invalid by reason only that the invention has been communicated as aforesaid.
(7) The power of a Government Department and persons authorised by a Government Department under section 55 of this Act 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 of Defence thinks necessary or expedient, and any reference in that section or in sections 56 and 57 of this Act to the services of the Crown shall be construed as including a reference to those purposes.
(8) Every person who commits an offence against this section shall be liable on conviction on indictment to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years or to a fine not exceeding $1,000, or to both such imprisonment and such fine.
Compare: Patents Act 1949, s 106(3) (UK); 1947 No 37 s 6