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41.
Mr. K. Robinson
asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will amend the regulations governing applications for compulsory licences under Section 41 of the Patents Act, 1949, in such a way as to prevent patent-holders, through the imposition of a time limit, from delaying for long periods the hearing of opposed applications.
Mr. Erroll
No. Both parties must be given adequate opportunity to prepare their cases and submit their evidence and counter-evidence and this needs time, particularly if one party is abroad. An arbitrary overall time limit, unless a very long one, might work unjustly on one or other party.