asked the President when it is proposed to introduce the Bill to adapt the existing law of copyrights, as promised in the Ministerial statement last December, and further, to ask whether he can indicate at this stage the nature of the adaptations which it is proposed to make in the existing law.
CEISTEANNA—QUESTIONS. [ ORAL ANSWERS. ] - LAW OF COPYRIGHTS.
The precise adaptations to be made in the existing law and the date of the introduction of this measure are still under consideration by the Law Officer.
Can the Minister state whether the existing laws, the laws in force prior to the 6th December, 1922, are applicable now?
I understand the existing law is applicable until the new law will come into force, and as a matter of procedure we are registering, in the Ministry of Commerce, all applications for patents and other trade marks.
Does the old registration protect the Patentee?
It is intended to protect the Patentee as far as possible, but as to how far the existing law will protect him I am not at present in a position to say.