Patents Act 2004 Explained

Short Title:	Patents Act 2004^[1]
Parliament:	Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long Title:	An Act to amend the law relating to patents.
Year:	2004
Statute Book Chapter:	2004 c. 16
Territorial Extent:	The same as the Patents Act 1977^[2]
Royal Assent:	22 July 2004
Original Text:	http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2004/16/contents/enacted
Revised Text:	http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2004/16/contents

The Patents Act 2004 (c. 16) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. One of the purposes of the Act is to give effect to the revised European Patent Convention which was agreed by Diplomatic Conference in November 2000.^[3] It also amended employees' rights to compensation for inventions, to enable employee compensation "to be awarded in respect of all outstanding benefits deriving from a patented invention, removing the requirement for an employee to show that the patent itself is of outstanding benefit".^[4]

Section 1 - Methods of treatment or diagnosis

This section inserts section 4A of the Patents Act 1977 and defines the expression "the 1977 Act" for the purposes of this Act.

Section 17 - Commencement etc

The following orders have been made under this section:

• The Patents Act 2004 (Commencement No. 1 and Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Order 2004 (S.I. 2004/2177 (C. 94))
• The Patents Act 2004 (Commencement No. 2 and Consequential, etc. and Transitional Provisions) Order 2004 (S.I. 2004/3205 (C. 140))
• The Patents Act 2004 (Commencement No. 3 and Transitional Provisions) Order 2005 (S.I. 2005/2471 (C. 105))
• The Patents Act 2004 (Commencement No. 4 and Transitional Provisions) Order 2007 (S.I. 2007/3396 (C. 144))

See also

• Patent Act
• Halsbury's Statutes

External links

• The Patents Act 2004, as amended from the National Archives.
• The Patents Act 2004, as originally enacted from the National Archives.
• Explanatory notes to the Patents Act 2004.

Notes and References

1. The citation of this Act by this short title is authorised by section 18(1) of this Act.
2. The Patents Act 2004, section 18(2)
3. Explanatory notes, paragraphs 3 and 6
4. [Intellectual Property Office (United Kingdom)|Intellectual Property Office]