ISLAMABAD, April 19: President Gen Pervez Musharraf has promulgated an ordinance to amend the Patent Ordinance of 2000.

Under the amended ordinance that is to be called the Patents (Amendment) Ordinance of 2007, the government has done away with a condition stipulating the examiner to file a report to the controller before the end of the 18-month period, starting from the date of filing of application in Pakistan.

Through the ordinance, the sub-section (6) has been omitted which reads as follows: “Unless an application is accepted within 18 months from the date of the application, the application shall, except where an appeal has been lodged, be deemed to have been refused”.

The ordinance also repealed the Patents (Amendment) Ordinance of 2006.