Patents Ordinance, 2000 — section 18

18. Substitution of applicants, etc..—(1) If the Controller is satisfied, on an application made in the prescribed manner at any time before a patent has been granted, that by virtue of any assignment or agreement in writing made by the applicant or one of the applicants for the patent, or by operation of law, the claimant would, if the patent were then granted, be entitled thereto or to the interest of the applicant therein, or to an undivided share of the patent or of that interest, the Controller may, subject to the provisions of this section, direct that the application shall proceed in the name of the claimant or in the names of the claimants and the applicant or the other joint applicant or applicants, as the case may require.

(2)No such direction under sub-section (1) shall be given by virtue of any assignment or agreement made by one of two or more joint applicants for a patent except with the consent of the other joint applicant or applicants.

(3)No such direction under sub-section (1) shall be given by virtue of any assignment or agreement for the assignment of the benefit of an invention unless

(a)the invention is identified therein by reference to the number of the application for the patent;

(b)there is produced to the Controller an acknowledgement by the person by whom the assignment or agreement was made that the assignment or agreement relates to the invention in respect of which that application is made;

(c)the rights of the claimant in respect of the invention have been finally established by a decision of a court; or

(d)the Controller gives directions for enabling the application to proceed or for regulating the manner in which it should be proceeded with under sub-section

(5).

(4)Where one of two or more joint applicants for patent dies at any time before the patent has been granted, the Controller may, upon a request in that behalf made by the survivor or survivors, and with the consent of the legal representative of the deceased, direct that the application shall proceed in the name of the survivor or survivors alone.

(5)If any dispute arises between joint applicants for a patent whether or in what manner the application should be proceeded with, the Controller may, upon application made to him in the prescribed manner by any of the parties, and after giving to all parties concerned an opportunity of being heard, give such directions as he thinks fit for enabling the application to proceed in the name of one or more of the parties alone or for regulating the manner in which it should be proceeded with, or for both those purposes, as the case may require. 1 [19. * * *] 20. Power of Controller to require certain information and documents relating to foreign application.—(1) The applicant shall, when required by the Controller, furnish him with the date and number of any application for a patent filed by him abroad, hereinafter referred to as foreign application, relating to the same or essentially the same invention as that claimed in the application filed in Pakistan.

(2)The applicant shall, when required by the Controller, furnish him with the following documents relating to one of the foreign applications referred to in sub-section (1), namely:

(i)a copy of any communication received by the applicant concerning the results of any search or examination carried out in respect of the foreign application;

(ii)a copy of the patent granted on the basis of the foreign application; and

(iii)a copy of any final decision rejecting the foreign application.

(3)The applicant shall, when required by the Controller, furnish him with a copy of any final decision invalidating the patent granted on the basis of foreign application referred to in sub-section

(1). 21. Acceptance of complete specification. On the acceptance of a complete specification, the Controller shall give notice thereof to the applicant and shall advertise in the official Gazette 2 [and publish in the patent’s journal] the fact that specification has been accepted and thereupon the application and the specification, and the priority documents, if any, filed in pursuance thereof shall be open to public inspection. 3[22. Effect of acceptance of complete Specification. After the acceptance of an application and until the date of sealing a patent in respect thereof, or the expiration of the time for sealing, the applicant shall have the like privileges and rights as if a patent for the invention had been sealed on the date of the acceptance of the application: Provided that the applicant shall not be entitled to institute any proceedings for infringement until the patent has been sealed.] CHAPTER VI OPPOSITION TO GRANT OF PATENT