Israel Patent Office (IPO)
Patents, designs and trademarks registration and legal protection granting are authorized by the Israeli Patent Office. The IPO operates under the auspices of the Ministry of Justice.
Patents
Patents in Israel are organized in accordance with the Patents Law (1967). According to the law, a person with an innovative, potentially useful and advanced in its field invention is eligible to apply for patent registration. The patents are granted legal protection in Israel by the IPO.
In addition, there is an option to apply for international patent registration: Israel has been a member of the PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty) since 1996. Israeli citizens or residents can file an international patent application with the IPO PCT Department in order to seek international patent protection for their invention. In addition, the IPO also functions as a recognized International Searching and Examining Authority. Hence, an Israeli citizen or resident can also choose the IPO for international search and preliminary examination activities.
Designs
A registered design is a property right enabling protection on a new or original industrial product design. According to the Patents and Designs Ordinance (1926), a design can be registered for any object or industrial product with shape, design or decoration noticeable to the eye, that is new or original and that has not been sold, marketed or published in Israel prior to the application. The design registration is under the authority of the IPO. A registered design at the IPO grants its holder exclusive right of use of the design only in Israel.
In addition, Israel is a member of the Paris Treaty. The membership enables an applicant who filed an application design in Israel to request the same priority date for the same design in other member countries.
The protection on the design Is given for 25 years, then, it must be renewed.
Trademarks
Trademarks are letters, digits, words, images, symbols or a combination thereof, which are used by manufacturers or service providers in order to identify their goods and services to the consumers.
The registration of the mark confers upon its owner the exclusive use of the mark in relation to the products or services for which it is registered; it also serves to protect the public against deception regarding the origin of the goods/services in question.
The IPO is in charge of trademark applications as well. The registration of a trademark in Israel only provides territorial protection, and is applicable only under Israeli jurisdiction.
Applications are filed to the trademarks department where they await examination according to their filing dates (as of today the waiting period is 3-4 months of receiving the application).
Trademarks and service-marks are initially registered for a 10 year period and must be renewed on or about the 10-year anniversary of the trademark registration.
In addition, Israel has joined the Madrid Protocol; hence, an Israeli applicant may submit a single trademark application that can be automatically applied in over 90 countries. The filings are done under the Madrid System.