The descriptions and drawings of the patent are published in the press.

A gazette, Dansk Patenttidende, in which are published all notices as to patent applications and patents granted, is issued every week. The price of subscription is 50 Kr. per annum and, if descriptions and drawings are included, 250 Kr. per annum. During 1925, 2735 applications were made and 1465 patents were granted in Denmark.

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TRADE MARKS

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For many years it has also been the endeavour to promote the industries by opening access for manufacturers to obtain sole rights for the use of certain marks the so-called trade marks in order to distinguish their products from others in the market. This access is not, by the way, open solely to manufacturers, it being available for other producers and traders tatis mutandis. The regulations governing this are to be found in the Act of April 11th., 1890, and later Acts, particularly that of January 12th., 1915. This legislation provides that all who carry on the business of manufacturing or handicraft, agriculture, mining, trading or other means of livelihood in Denmark have the same access to this right. Consequent upon Denmark having entered the Convention previously referred to, the same right is open to those who carry on one of the businesses mentioned in one of the other countries who have signed this Convention and also to subjects or citizens of these countries who carry on such business. According to Orders of October 13th., 1880, March 31st., 1883, and July 12th., 1898, protection for trade marks is likewise obtainable for those who carry on such business in Venezuela, the Argentine Republic or Russia.

Nothing is laid down as to what characterises a trade mark, it simply being a condition that it is capable of being placed on the commodity or its packing. It must be distinctive. It must not consist exclusively of words which may serve to indicate the place where the commodity is produced or sold, the time of its production, its kind, nature, use, quantity or price, nor of words which describe the commodity itself or a commodity of the same kind marketed by another than the applicant. The mark may not, without due authority, contain any other name or firm-name than that of the applicant nor the name of the real property of others,

nor State arms or crests nor Danish municipal arms or crests. It must not contain matter which may give offence, and not be liable to be mistaken for trade marks already notified or registered by other traders.

In their trade mark the proprietors may use their name or firmnames or the names of real property belonging to them without previous notification of same. They may also acquire the right to use special trade marks by means of registration. In order to obtain this, written application must be made to the Directorate for Patents and Trade Marks, accompanied by a fee of 60 Kr. Particulars as to the contents of such applications, and of such other matters as must be sent at the same time, are given in the Notice of July 28th., 1920. In the case of a foreigner a local representative is necessary, and he must also show that the mark is registered in his own country. For those applicants who live in another of the countries covered by the aforementioned Convention, the question of whether their applications collide with former notifications or registrations is settled according to the circumstances at the time when the same application was made in their own country, if this should be less than four months prior to the date of handing in the application in Denmark. If the registration authorities see no objection to the registration of the mark, it is entered into the Register of Trade Marks. Notification of registration is made in Statstidende and in Registreringstidende for Vare- og Fællesmærker. The price of subscription for the latter is 16 Kr.

The registration holds good for 10 years and is renewable on application before the expiration of that period. The fee of renewal is 15 Kr.

In 1925, 1509 trade marks were notified, 638 of these by foreigners. 1189 trade marks were registered, 569 for foreigners.

COMMON MARKS FOR SOCIETIES OF TRADERS AND

PUBLIC AUTHORITIES

In combination with the regulations for the protection of trade marks, an Act of April 29th., 1913, prescribes that societies whose object it is to protect the common trading interests of their members but who do not themselves trade, may obtain sole rights for their members to use common marks (emblems) for the purpose of distinguishing members' goods from those of others on the

market or for purposes of control. Public authorities who protect the trading interests of groups of citizens may obtain similar rights.

These rights are available for societies and public authorities in Denmark and, subject to reciprocity, for societies domiciled in one of the States in which the trade mark legislation of Denmark applies, as well as for public authorities of such states.

For the most part the regulations as to trademarks apply to these emblems. The rules prescribing the form of application are contained in the Notice of May 27th., 1913. The fee for registration and publication is 180 Kr., and for renewal of registration 60 Kr.

PROTECTION OF PATTERNS

Protection is also available, through the Act of April 1st., 1905, for patterns of the exterior appearance and form of industrial products. This protection is only obtainable by the designer of the pattern or by his lawful assignee. The pattern must be new and distinctive and must not be contrary to law, public morals or order. The protection comprises the sole right to use the pattern for trade purposes or a copy of it as a model for production, preparation or decoration of objects, or the right to offer for sale or import objects in the manufacture of which the pattern has been employed. In order to obtain this right the pattern must be filed with the Directorate for Patents and Trade Marks and entered in the Pattern Register. Protection may be applied for one or more periods of three years not exceeding 15 years after application. Each application may cover from one to fifty patterns. For the first three years' period the patterns may be filed under seal but otherwise the cover must be open. A fee must be prepaid for each period covered by each application up to certain maximums, viz: for the first period 2 Kroner, but not exceeding 5 Kr., for the 2nd period 3 Kr. but not exceeding 10 Kr., for the 3d period 4 Kr. but not exceeding 20 Kr., for the 4th period 5 Kr. but not exceeding 35 Kr., and for the 5th period 6 Kr. but not exceeding 60 Kr.

In determining whether the pattern complies with the condition of being novel the circumstances prevailing at the time of the application are the governing factors. If the applicant is domiciled in one of the other countries which have signed the Paris

Convention already referred to he may, however, demand that the date on which he may have made a similar application in one of these countries be taken into consideration, provided that the Danish application is made not later than four months after that date.

The conditions governing the form of application, etc., are contained in Regulation of June 17th., 1915. Foreigners must have a representative domiciled in Denmark.

The applicant may only import or permit the importation from other countries of objects manufactured according to the pattern if special Danish regulations to this effect have been enacted for the country in question. Such regulations have been put into force by England and the United States by the Order of August 14th., 1906, by Russia by the Order of October 20th., 1906, for Italy and Belgium by the Order of August 24th., 1907, for Sweden by the Order of July 28th., 1908, for Germany by the Order of September 11th., 1909, and for France by the Order of February 9th., 1913.

In 1925, 765 applications were made for 1637 patterns. There were registered 742 applications of 1522 patterns.

THE STATISTICAL DEPARTMENT AND

ITS PUBLICATIONS

The Statistical Department, which is the central organ of the official Danish statistics, in all essentials acquired its present form in 1850, although since then the scope of the institution has repeatedly been widened. Prior to 1850, Danish statistics were prepared mainly by a special committee, called the >>Tabel Kommission«. The first general census of population was taken in 1769.

Apart from the first three years of its existence, the Department has functioned under the Ministry of Finance, though occupying quite an independent position within the Ministry; its Director signs on his own behalf not on behalf of the Ministry all documents issuing from the Department, and it can place itself in direct communication with other public authorities. This independence is a natural consequence of the fact that the functions of the Department are of a very different nature to those of other public authorities, and is a necessary condition of the satisfactory performance of its work, much of which is of a literary and scientific nature.

As the central organ of the official statistics, the Department occupies itself with practically every aspect of the life of the Danish community, only one or two special subjects being dealt with statistically by other public institutions. Thus the Department works out all population statistics with the exception of the medical statistics (including mortality statistics), which are dealt with by the National Board of Health. With the exception of the statistics concerning the fisheries, which come under the province of the Director of Fisheries, it also handles all statistics of trade and industry, viz. very comprehensive agricultural statistics, industrial statistics, commerce and shipping statistics, as well as statistics regarding the circulation of money, credit, and prices.