Post Office Act 1969

3 Where, by an agreement in force immediately before the appointed day and made in pursuance of subsection (3) of section 46 of the Patents Act 1949, terms are agreed upon which use of an invention may be made by virtue of that section for the manufacture of articles by the department of the Postmaster General, or the manufacture and supply to that department of articles by a person authorised by it,—

(a) the agreement shall (so far as it relates to the use of the invention by, or with the authority of, that department) have effect as from the appointed day as if, for any reference to use by virtue of that section, whether or not it is expressed to be for any purpose referable to functions of the Postmaster General, there were substituted a reference to use by virtue of this paragraph for any purpose referable to functions of the Post Office corresponding to a purpose referable to functions of the Postmaster General, being a purpose in the case of which use of the invention therefor fell within the agreement, and the rights and liabilities of the Postmaster General subsisting immediately before the appointed day under the agreement shall, on that day, vest in the Post Office by virtue of this paragraph, and paragraph 2 of Schedule 9 to this Act shall apply as it does where rights and liabilities so vest by virtue of sections 16 to 18 of this Act;

(b) the Post Office shall have power to use the invention for the manufacture of articles on the terms of the agreement as it has effect by virtue of this paragraph, and any person authorised by the Post Office in writing shall have power to use the invention for manufacture and supply to the Post Office on such terms, and the Post Office shall, accordingly, have power to use, for purposes referable to its functions, articles so manufactured by, or supplied to, it.