The Laws of Zambia (2) Where any person makes an application for the registration of a design in respect of any article and either- (a) that design has been previously registered by another person in respect of some other article; or (b) the design to which the application relates consists of a design previously registered by another person in respect of the same or some other article with modifications or variations not sufficient to alter the character or substantially to affect the identity thereof; then, if at any time while the application is pending the applicant becomes the registered proprietor of the design previously registered, the provisions of subsection (1) shall apply as if at the time of making the application the applicant had been the registered proprietor of that design. 11. (1) In this section, "competent authority" means the President or the Minister or Junior Minister, if any, to whom the President may assign special responsibilities for defence matters. (2) Where an application for the registration of a design has been made, and it appears to the Registrar that the design is one of a class notified to him by the competent authority as relevant for defence purposes, he may give directions for prohibiting or restricting the publication of information with respect to the design, or the communication of such information to any person or class of persons specified in the directions. (3) Regulations shall be made by the Minister under this Act for securing that the representation or specimen of a design, in the case of which directions are given under this section, shall not be open to inspection at the Designs Office during the continuance in force of the directions. (4) Where the Registrar gives any such directions as aforesaid, he shall give notice of the application and of the directions to the competent authority, and thereupon the following provisions shall have effect, that is to say: (a) the competent authority shall, upon receipt of such notice, consider whether the publication of the design would be prejudicial to the defence of the Republic and unless a notice under paragraph (c) has previously been given by that authority to the Registrar, shall reconsider that question before the expiration of nine months from the date of lodging of the application for registration of the design and at least once in every subsequent year; (b) for the purpose aforesaid, the competent authority may, at any time after the design has been registered or with the consent of the applicant, at any time before the design has been registered, inspect the representation or specimen of the design lodged in pursuance of the application; Copyright Ministry of Legal Affairs, Government of the Republic of Zambia Provisions for secrecy of certain designs