Patents and Designs Act 1907

54 Requirements before delivery on sale

(1) Before delivery on sale of any articles to which a registered design has been applied, the proprietor shall—

(a) (if exact representations or specimens were not furnished on the application for registration), furnish to the comptroller the prescribed number of exact representations or specimens of the design ; and if he fails to do so, the comptroller may erase his name from the register, and thereupon the copyright in the design shall cease ; and

(b) cause each such article to be marked with the prescribed mark, or with the prescribed words or figures, denoting that the design is registered ; and if he fails to do so the proprietor shall not be entitled to recover any penalty or damages in respect of any infringement of his copyright in the design, unless he shows that he took all proper steps to ensure the marking of the article, or unless he shows that the infringement took place after the person guilty thereof knew or had received notice of the existence of the copyright in the design.

(2) Where a representation is made to the Board of Trade by or on behalf of any trade or industry that in the interests of the trade or industry it is expedient to dispense with or modify, as regards any class or description of articles, any of the requirements of this section as to marking, the Board may, if they think fit, by rule under this Act dispense with or modify such requirements as regards any such class or description of articles to such extent and subject to such conditions as they think fit.