Section 80

summon witnesses;

receive evidence on oath;

require the production of any document or article; and

award costs, including assessment of the costs and the manner in which the costs is to be paid as against a party to proceedings before him.

A party to any proceedings before the Registrar who is desirous to obtain costs shall make an application to the Registrar in the prescribed manner.

Any person who without any lawful excuse fails to comply with any summons, order or direction made by the Registrar under paragraphs (1)(a) and (b) commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding two thousand ringgit or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to both.

If any person fails to comply with any order or direction made by the Registrar under paragraph (1)(c) without any lawful excuse, his application under this Act shall be treated as abandoned.

Costs awarded by the Registrar may in default of payment be recovered in a Court of competent jurisdiction as a debt due by the person against whom the costs were accorded to the person in whose favour they were accorded.

Patents 85

Nothing in this Act shall prevent the disclosure of information by the Registrar to the National Competent Authority or relevant

Competent Authority established under the Access to Biological

Resources and Benefit Sharing Act 2017 [Act 795] for the purposes of the Patent Registration Office acting as a checkpoint under that Act concerning an application for a patent prior to the publication of a patent application referred to in section 33D.

Exercise of discretionary power