From Alan Jones
I refer to the proposed contracting out of “areas of nonstatutory work” undertaken by the British Patent Office, especially the contracting out of the London front office based at 25 Southampton Buildings.
The majority of British and European patent applications, especially those emanating from overseas, are lodged at the London front office. Applicants rest secure in the knowledge that the proprietary information contained in their applications will be kept secret until official publication, and will be read only by persons of the utmost integrity – that is, the tried and tested Patent Office staff.
Applicants would not countenance inspection of their applications by members of a private organisation; it is their perception of such an organisation which might even be a competitor of some applicants, which matters. Instead, as Barry Fox has pointed out (Patents, 26 August), applicants will file their European patent applications at Continental patent offices, resulting in a considerable loss of foreign exchange and jobs to this country.
Moreover, as Fox also said, the US defence industry would not file British patent applications in respect of defence-related inventions if any organisation other than the trusted Patent Office would have access to them. The end result will be a reduction in investment in this country by the US defence industry.
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The Government should withdraw this misguided proposal.
