Abstract: | Recently the Nigerian Legislature has revised and modified what laws there were on patents, industrial designs, trade marks, trade names and copyrights, with a view to equipping them to serve the current needs of the country. This article reviews the law on patents in the following sections: Introduction - Patent right - History - Patents and Designs Decree (no. 60 of 1970) (Introduction; Patentable inventions; Who may apply for a patent?; Examination of application and grant of patent; Term, surrender and nullification of patent; Rights conferred by patent; Assignments and licences; Action for infringement of the rights of patentee; Use of patents for service of Government Agencies) - Miscellaneous - Jurisdiction to hear legal proceedings - Patents and Designs Decree and the U.K. Patents Act, 1949 compared - Conclusion. Notes. |