File No. 811.54262/152
The Ambassador in Great Britain (
Page) to the
Secretary of State
No. 7128
London,
September 21, 1917.
[Received October 23.]
Sir: With reference to the Department’s
telegram No. 4742 of April 21, 1917,1 requesting information as to whether the
British Government had made any arrangements with enemy countries in
order to secure to British subjects the right to communicate with enemy
subjects and to take the necessary steps in connection with the filing
of patent applications and the payment of patent fees, I have the honor
to enclose herewith a copy of a note I have received from the Foreign
Office, together with its enclosures,2 in reply to the enquiry I made in
the premises on the 23d of April last.
For the guidance of the Department, I venture to add that the contents of
Mr. Balfour’s note of July 10,
1917, to which reference is made, were communicated to the Department by
my telegram No. 6705 of July 11, 12 m.
I have [etc.]
(For the Ambassador)
Edward Bell
[Enclosure]
The British Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs (
Balfour) to
the American Ambassador (
Page)
No. 176111/150/C
London,
September 17, 1917.
Your Excellency: With reference to the
note which Your Excellency was good enough to address to me on April
23 last (No.
[Page 325]
3787),
requesting information as to whether His Majesty’s Government had
made any arrangements with enemy countries in order to secure to
British subjects the right to communicate with enemy subjects and to
take the necessary steps in connection with the filing of patent
applications and the payment of patent fees, I have the honour to
inform Your Excellency that no express arrangements have been made
with enemy governments regarding these matters.
- 2.
- Applications for patents, designs and trade marks, and
payments of application and renewal fees, have been accepted in
this country from enemies under the conditions set out in the
Patent Office notice of June 1, 1915, copies of which are
enclosed.1
Persons in this country have also been allowed to make
corresponding applications and pay corresponding fees in enemy
countries to the extent set out in the Board of Trade’s general
licence of December 7, 1915 (copies of which I also
enclose)1 and
the Board’s information is to the effect that such applications
and fees have been accepted by the enemy governments.
- 3.
- As regards the payment of royalties by British nationals to
enemy nationals, I have the honour to inform Your Excellency
that no such payments are, of course, permitted during the war,
but where licences have been granted by the Board of Trade under
the Patents, Designs and Trade Marks (Temporary Rules) Acts,
1914, and the rules made thereunder, the royalties reserved are
paid to the Public Trustee.
- 4.
- As regards the revocation of patents worked outside, I would
call Your Excellency’s attention to the Patents and Designs Act
(Partial Suspension) Act, 1915 (5 and 6 Geo. V, ch. 85), copies
of which are also enclosed.1
- 5.
- I had the honour to inform Your Excellency in my note of July
10 last that remittances sent from America to enemy countries
for the preservation of patent rights are allowed to go forward
to their destination, and in this connection, I have the honour
to transmit to Your Excellency herewith, copy of a general
licence just issued by the Board of Trade amending their general
licence of December 7, 1915, and authorising persons of British,
neutral or Allied nationality in this country to pay patent fees
in enemy countries on behalf of persons of British, Allied or
neutral nationality in Allied countries.1
I have [etc.]
For the Secretary of State:
Victor Wellesley
