3 ACQUISITION OF PATENT RIGHTS

(1)  Any person  desirous of obtaining right over any patent shall have  such patents  registered in  his name under this act.

 
(2)  The patent  registered in  the name of any person under this Act  shall not  be copied  by any  other person or operated  or   used  in  his  name  during  the  period mentioned in  Section 3  without the written permission of the patentee.

 
(3)  The patent  registered in  the name of any person underthis act any be transferred by him in any manner to any other person like movable property.

     Provided that:-

The person  obtaining right  over the  patent consequent  to such transfer  shall not  operate or use it in any manner in his name  or that  of any  person other  than  the  patenteen himself unless he (the transferee) has the transfer effected under  Section  9  of  the  act  in  the  relevant  Register maintained at the Department.

4 APPLICATION FOR ACQUIRING RIGHT OVER PATENT

(1)  A person  desirous of  having any  patent registered in his name  shall submit to the Department an application according to  the specimen  form specified in Schedules 1(a), containing the particulars mentioned below, along with all available evidence in his possession:-

 
(a)  Namely  address   and  occupation  of  the  parson inventing the patent.
 

(b)  If the applicant himself is not the inventors, how and in  what manner he acquired title thereto from the inventor.

(c)  Process of  manufacturing, operating  or using thepatent.

(d)  The theory  or formula  if any on which the patent is based.

(2)  Along with  the application  mentioned  in  Sub-Section (1), e  applicant shall  also submit  mans and drawings along with  particulars, of  the patent, as well as the fee specified in Schedule 3.

5 INVESTIGATION BY DEPARTMENT

(1)  On receipt  of application  submitted under  Section 4,the Department  shall, on the advice also of experts if so  considered   necessary,  conduct  investigation  or studies to  ascertain whether the patent investigations in the  application is  a new  invention  or  not,  and whether it  is useful to the general public or not, and thereafter decide  whether  or  not  to  register  such patent.
 

(2)  In case the Department feels that any patent should not be registered in the circumstances mentioned in Section 6, it  shall give  a notice  to the  applicant  to  the effect that  the patent  cannot be registered according to his application.
 
(3)  (Repealed on October 18, 1987).
 

6 CIRCUMSTANCES IN WHICH PATENTS CANNOT BE REGISTERED

(1)  The Department shall not register any patent under this act in the following circumstances:-
 

(a)  In case  the patent  is already  registered in thename of any other person, or

 
(b)  In case  the applicant himself is not the inventor of the  patent sought to be registered by him, nor has he  acquired rights  over it from the original inventor, or

 
(c)  In case  the patent  sought to  be  registered  is likely to  adversely  effect  the  public  health,conduct or morality or the national interest, or

 
(d)  In case  (the registration  of  the  patent)  willconstitute a contravention of existing Nepal law.

Provided that noting contained in Clause (a) shall be deemed  to have  prejudiced the transfer of the registration of any patent under the provisions ofSection 9.

 
(2)  In the circumstances mentioned in  Sub-Section (1), the department may  cancel the  registration of  any patent which had been registered.

 
Provided that:-

The department  shall, before cancelling the registration of any  patent,  provided  opportunity  the  patentee  to  show cause,if any, why the registration of this patent should not be cancelled.
 

7 REGISTRATION OF PATENT

 
(1)  On receipt  of applications  filed under  Section 4 for registration of  any  patents,  the  department  shall,after   completing   necessary   investigations   under Section 5 issue a registration certificate according to the scotchman  form indicated  in Schedule 2 (a) to the applicant, except  in the  circumstances  mentioned  in Section 6.

 
(2)  For obtaining  the certificate mentioned in Sub-Section (1), the  applicant shall  pay  the  registration  fees specified in schedule 3 (1) (b) to the department.
 

7A.  Registered patents to be published.

 
(1)  Patents registered  under this  act, other  than  those which must  be kept  secret in  the national  interest,  shall be  published by  the  department  in  the  Nepal Rajapatra for the information of the public.

 
(2)  In case anybody desires to see or copy the particulars,maps, or  drawings of  a patent  published  under  Sub-Section (1),  he may  be allowed  to do so after payingthe fees prescribed by the department.

 
(3)  In case  anyone has  any objection to such a patent, he may file  a complaint  with  the  department  within  a period of  35 days  from the  date of seeing or copying the patent under Sub-Section 92).

 
(4)  In case  any complaint  is received  under  Sub-Section (3), the  department shall  take necessary action after conducting inquiries.
 

8 TERM OF PATENT

 (1)  The title  of the patentee to the patent shall be valid for  a   period  of   seven  years  from  the  date  of poristration thereof under Section 7, except when it is renewed under Section 23 B.

 (2)  Notwithstanding, anything contained in Sub-Section 91),in  the   case  of   patents  registered   before   thecommencement of  this Section, the term fixed according to the  provision in  force at the time of registration thereof shall  be valid,  and after  the expiry of that term, the patent must be renewed under Section 23B.
 

9 TRANSFER OF REGISTERED PATENT

 (1)  In case  any patentee transfers any patent registers in his name  after relinquishing  his title  there to  the transferee  shall   submit  an   application   to   the department for  removing the  name of the transfer from the patent  register and  then registering his own name therein.

 (2)  In case  any person  files an  application  under  Sub-Section (1),  the department shall send a notice to the sertentee whose  name  is  mentioned  in  the  register direction him to file complaints with it within 15 days if he  has any  objection tot he transfer of his patent according  to   the  application   submitted   by   the transferee.  In  case  the  patentee  files  complaints
accordingly  within   this  time-limit  ad  it  becomes necessary to  determine which  of the  two parties  has title to  the patent,  such transfer  shall  be  stayed pending the  judgment of  a court  on such  dispute. In case no  complaint is filed within this time-limit, the transfer  all   be  effected   as  requested   in   the application.

 (3)  The person  applying for  transfer of  patent under the   provisions of  this Section  shall pay  along with  the application the  prescribed amount  as transfer  fee to the department.
 

10 SUBMISSION OF  DESIGN  OR  HODEL  OF  PATENT  TO  GOVERNMENT  ARCHIVES

The patentee  shall submit  to the  National Archive  also a copy of  the design  or model  of the  article  manufactured according to the patent registered under this act.
 

11 PUNISHMENT FOR VIOLATION OF SECTION 3

In case  any person  commits or attempts to commit, or abets the commitment  of, any  act in contravention of, any act in contravention of  any provisions  of Sub-Section  (2) or the restrictive clause contained in Sb-Section (3) of Section 3, he will  be punished  with a  fine not  exceeding Rs 2000 as well as confiscation of all articles or goods connected with such offence on the order of the department.