relate to patents matters;
to provide information on patented technology so as to facilitate transfer and
acquisition of technology by the United Republic;
(f)
to perform such other functions as are necessary for the furtherance of the
objects of this Act.
6.
Patents Register
(1) The Registrar shall maintain a register in which he shall record all matters
required to be registered under this Act.
(2) Any person may on request consult the Patents Register and may take
extracts from it on payment of a prescribed fee.
(3) The details concerning the register shall be prescribed by regulations.
(e)
PART III
PATENTABILITY (ss 7-13)
7.
Definition
(1) For the purposes of this Act, "invention" means a solution to a specific
problem in the field of technology and may relate to a product or process.
(2) The following shall not be regarded as inventions within the meaning of
subsection (1)–
(a) discoveries, and scientific and mathematical theories;
(b) plant or animal varieties or essentially biological processes for the production of
plants or animals, other than microbiological and the products of such
processes;
(c) schemes, rules or methods for doing business, performing purely mental acts or
playing games;
(d) methods for the treatment of the human or animal body by surgery or therapy,
as well as diagnostic methods; but shall not apply to products for use in any of
those methods;
(e) more presentation of information.
8.
Patentable inventions
An invention is patentable if it is new, involves an inventive step and is
industrially applicable.
9.
Novelty (1) An invention is new if it is not anticipated by prior art.
(2) Everything made available to the public anywhere in the world by means of
written disclosure (including drawings and other illustrations) or by oral disclosure, use,
exhibition or other non-written means shall be considered prior art provided that such
making available occurred before the date of the filing of the application, of priority is
claimed, before the priority date, validly claimed in respect thereof.
(3) For the sole purpose of the evaluation of novelty, an application for the grant
of a patent or a utility certificate in the United Republic shall be considered to have been
comprised in the prior art as from the filing date of such application or, if priority is
claimed, as from the date of its validly claimed priority, to the extent to which its contents
are available, or is later made available, to the public in accordance with this Act or in
accordance with the Patent Co-operation Treaty.
(4) A disclosure of the invention shall not be taken into consideration if it occurs
not earlier than six months before the filing date or, where applicable the priority date of
the application and if it was by reason or in consequence of–
(a) the fact that the applicant or his predecessor in title displayed; or
(b) an evidence of abuse in relation to the applicant or his predecessor in title.