Patent Act

Marginal note:Effect of refusal of a joint inventor to proceed

• 31 (1) Where an invention is made by two or more inventors and one of them refuses to make application for a patent or his whereabouts cannot be ascertained after diligent inquiry, the other inventors or their legal representatives may make application, and a patent may be granted in the name of the inventors who make the application, on satisfying the Commissioner that the joint inventor has refused to make application or that his whereabouts cannot be ascertained after diligent inquiry.

• Marginal note:Powers of Commissioner

  (2) In any case where

  • (a) an applicant has agreed in writing to assign a patent, when granted, to another person or to a joint applicant and refuses to proceed with the application, or

  • (b) disputes arise between joint applicants with respect to proceeding with an application,

  the Commissioner, on proof of the agreement to his satisfaction, or if satisfied that one or more of the joint applicants ought to be allowed to proceed alone, may allow that other person or joint applicant to proceed with the application, and may grant a patent to him in such manner that all persons interested are entitled to be heard before the Commissioner after such notice as he may deem requisite and sufficient.

• Marginal note:Procedure when one joint applicant retires

  (3) Where an application is filed by joint applicants and it subsequently appears that one or more of them has had no part in the invention, the prosecution of the application may be carried on by the remaining applicant or applicants on satisfying the Commissioner by affidavit that the remaining applicant or applicants is or are the sole inventor or inventors.

• Marginal note:Joining applicants

  (4) Where an application is filed by one or more applicants and it subsequently appears that one or more further applicants should have been joined, the further applicant or applicants may be joined on satisfying the Commissioner that he or they should be so joined, and that the omission of the further applicant or applicants had been by inadvertence or mistake and was not for the purpose of delay.

• Marginal note:To whom granted

  (5) Subject to this section, in cases of joint applications, the patent shall be granted in the names of all the applicants.

• Marginal note:Appeal

  (6) An appeal lies to the Federal Court from the decision of the Commissioner under this section.