Patent registration in Israel. Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in Western Asia. Israel has the world’s 31st-largest economy by nominal GDP and is the most developed country that is currently in conflict. The standard of living in Israel is the highest in the Middle East, and the country ranks high on the global HDI list. Israel also ranks among the world’s top countries by percentage of citizens with military training, percentage of citizens holding a tertiary education degree, research and development spending by GDP percentage, women’s safety, life expectancy, innovativeness, and happiness. Accordingly, many businesses want to enter this market and one of the most important preparations a business needs to take before expanding to this country is to learn the procedure of patent registration in Israel.
Patent in Israel
To be patentable in this country, an invention must meet the requirements of novelty, inventiveness, and industrial applicability.
However, the novelty requirement is not absolute.
If the disclosure of the invention occurs within 6 months, whether made by the owner of the invention or his/her predecessor in title, if it is made or used during an industrial or agricultural trade show in Israel, or at an internationally recognized exhibition, etc., the novelty requirement will not be affected.
This means that for 6 months from the disclosure date, the patent application will still be considered valid.
Necessary documents for patent registration in Israel
The necessary documents for patent registration in Israel include:
- The request to grant a patent (patent application);
- Detailed information on the applicant(s) including the applicant’s and inventor’s names, addresses, citizenships, etc.;
- A description of the invention;
- A signed and stamped power of attorney by the applicant(s);
- A copy of the amendments (if any);
- Priority documents (if any).
- Other required documents.
The official languages of the Israeli patent applications are Hebrew and English.
However, the applicant may choose to file the application in any other language provided that they submit a translation of those documents within three months from the filing date.
Obligation to disclose information
For the patent registration process in Israel, there is one special requirement that is the Obligation to disclose information by way of an Information Disclosure Statement (IDS).
According to the IDS, any information that could be considered to be relevant to the outcome of the patent registration process must be disclosed until a patent is issued or the application is abandoned.
It should be noted that an intentional failure to submit an IDS may lead to a later declaration of the patent as unenforceable.
There are currently no official fees associated with filing an IDS.
The procedure for patent registration in Israel
To obtain a patent in Israel, the applicant needs to file their patent application to the IP Office of Israel.
After the submission, the patent application automatically undergoes the examinations.
There should only be a request that should be submitted and It is for the acceleration (expedition) of the examination.
After the examinations, if there are no errors, the patent will be granted to the applicant.
The first maintenance fees for 1-6 years must be paid within 3 months from the decision to grant a patent. All further maintenance fees are to be paid every 4 years.
The IP Office of Israel also provides the opportunity to pay all the maintenance fees at once.
You can see a list of Israel IP firms here.