244 REPORT — 1873. 



It remained for the Committee to consider and report on the best means 

 of removing " any real causes of dissatisfaction, as well as of silencing un- 

 founded complaints." 



The Committee are of opinion that the primary means of effecting this 

 object is to bring the adjudication of these claims within a jurisdiction inde- 

 pendent of the administration of departments of the public service. As long 

 as the Patent Law remains as at present, the Committee are of opinion that 

 the only satisfactory method of determining what compensation should be 

 given to inventors, in cases where the Government makes use of their inven- 

 tions, is to have recourse to arbitration. Any inventor whose patented in- 

 vention is used, or believed to be used, by any Government official, or agent 

 under Government authority, should be at liberty to apply to the proper 

 Government department, stating what is the invention used, and how and 

 where, and requesting that the application be referred to the decision of two 

 arbitrators, who shall be appointed, one by the applicant and one by the 

 Government department, with power to appoint an umpire, and that the 

 proceedings be assimilated to ordinary compensation cases. 



The Committee, hoping that the recommendations of the House of Commons 

 Committee will, at an earl}^ period, be made the subject of legislation, 

 recommend that steps be taken, by petition to Her Majesty or otherwise, to 

 make the grant of Royal Letters Patent for inventions of effect as regards the 

 servants and officers of the Crown in the same way, and to the same extent, 

 as Letters Patent are of effect as regards all others of Her Majesty's siibjects. 



Your Committee feel that, if in evciy ease officials appointed to investigate 

 new inventions were required to affix their signatures to their reports,, very 

 beneficial results would follow, as the personal responsibility thiis attaching to 

 them would ensure their full attention, and deter them from rejecting hastily, 

 or on insufficient grounds, anj^ proposition or invention brought before them. 



The Committee consider that their Report would be incomplete if they did 

 not call attention to an Act for preserving secrecy in the case of inventions 

 connected with warfare. 



This Act is the 22nd Vic, cap. 13. Its principal provisions are : — 



Section 1. Improvements in instruments or munitions of war may be 

 assigned by inventors to Secretary of State for War. 



Section 2. Foregoing enactment may extend to assignments already made. 



Section 3. Secretary of State for War may certify to Commissioners of 

 Patents that the invention should be kept secret. 



Section 4. Where he so certifies, petition for letters patent to be left with 

 Clerk of Patents, under seal of Secretary of State. 



Section 5. Such packet to be kept sealed. 



Section 6. To be delivered on demand to Secretary of State or Lord 

 Chancellor. 



Section 7. At expiration of patent to be delivered to Secretary of State. 



Section 8. Where Secretary of State certifies after filing of petition, docu- 

 ments already filed to be put into sealed packet. 



Section 9. Copy not to be sent to Scotland or Ireland, nor published, but 

 otherwise provisions of Patent Acts to apply. 



Section 10. No scire facias to be brought. 



Section 11. Secretary of State may waive benefit of Act. 



Section 12. Communication of invention to Secretary of State not to pre- 

 judice letters patent. 



