Canada. Royal Commission on Patents, Copyright and Industrial Designs : The Royal Commission on Patents, Copyright, Trade Marks and Industrial Design was established under Order in Council P.C. 852, 10 June 1954, under Part I of the Inquiries Act (R.S.C., 1952, c.154) and on the recommendation of the Secretary of State. The Commission was mandated to inquire into and report on whether federal legislation relating to patents of invention, industrial designs, copyright and trademarks afforded reasonable incentives for invention and research, for development of literary and artistic talent, for creativeness, and for making available to the Canadian public scientific, technical, literary and artistic creations and their applications, adaptations and uses, in a manner and on terms adequately safeguarding the paramount public interest, the whole in the light of present-day economic conditions, scientific, technical and industrial developments, trade practices and any relevant factors or circumstances, including practices under or related to the said legislation and any other relevant international convention to which Canada is a party; and to submit to the governor in council a report on its findings. The Commissioners were James Lorimer Ilsley, Chairman; W.W. Buchanan, and Guy Favreau. Favreau resigned from the Commission early in 1959. The Secretary was A.M. Laidlaw. Laidlaw also resigned from the Commission early in 1959.
On 11 February 1954 the Secretary of State, J.W. Pickersgill, announced in the House of Commons that it was the intention of the Government of Canada to establish a public inquiry into the working of the Patent Act (R.S.C., 1952, c. 203), the Copyright Act (R.S.C., 1952, c. 55), the Industrial Design and Union Label Act (R.S.C., 1952, c. 150) and related legislation. Amendments to the Patent Act had been under consideration for some time and an inquiry was needed to recommend changes that to it. The Copyright Act of 1921 (11-12 Geo V, 1921, c. 24), which had not been changed substantially since its enactment, was in need of revision, and the Industrial Design Act was quite out of date and needed a thorough revision as well. Because of the legal complexities of the legislation governing intellectual and industrial property in Canada, it seemed desirable to have it examined in advance by a royal commission before the government recommended changes in the law to Parliament. The law governing Trade Marks had just been revised (1-2 Eliz. II, c.49, 1953), and it was not considered necessary for the commissioners to give trademark legislation detailed examination. Subsequently, in 1959 an order in council removed it from its mandate. (See House of Commons, Debates, 11 February and 3 June 1954, pp. 1994-1995 and pp. 5438-5440; and Order in Council P.C. 1340, 16 October 1959).
Hearings of the Commission were held in Ottawa from 15 November 1954 to 1 December 1955. The commissioners also visited London, the Hague, Paris, Berne and Washington. RG33-32 General Inventory
