# British North America Act 1949, Paragraph 20


(1) Subject to this Term, Canada will provide that letters patent for inventions issued under the laws of Newfoundland prior to the date of Union shall be deemed to have been issued under the laws of Canada, as of the date and for the term thereof.
(2) Canada will provide further that in the event of conflict between letters patent for an invention issued under the laws of Newfoundland prior to the date of Union and letters patent for an invention issued under the laws of Canada prior to the date of Union
(a) the letters patent issued under the laws of Newfoundland shall have the same force and effect in the Province of Newfoundland as if the Union had not been made, and all rights and privileges acquired under or by virtue thereof may continue to be exercised or enjoyed in the Province of Newfoundland as if the Union had not been made; and
(b) the letters patent issued under the laws of Canada shall have the same force and effect in any part of Canada other than the Province of Newfoundland as if the Union had not been made, and all rights and privileges acquired under or by virtue thereof may continue to be exercised or enjoyed in any part of Canada other than the Province of Newfoundland as if the Union had not been made.
(3) The laws of Newfoundland existing at the date of Union shall continue to apply in respect of applications for the grant of letters patent for inventions under the laws of Newfoundland pending at the date of Union, and any letters patent for inventions issued upon such applications shall, for the purposes of this Term, be deemed to have been issued under the laws of Newfoundland prior to the date of Union; and letters patent for inventions issued under the laws of Canada upon applications pending at the date of Union shall, for the purposes of this Term, be deemed to have been issued under the laws of Canada prior to the date of Union.
(4) Nothing in this Term shall be construed to prevent the Parliament of Canada from providing that no claims for infringement of a patent issued in Canada prior to the date of Union shall be entertained by any court against any person for anything done in Newfoundland prior to the date of Union in respect of the invention protected by such patent, and that no claims for infringement of a patent issued in Newfoundland prior to the date of Union shall be entertained by any court against any person for anything done in Canada prior to the date of Union in respect of the invention protected by such patent.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Geo6/12-13-14/22/schedule/paragraph/20 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/british-north-america-act-1949/schedule/paragraph-20
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.