• Patent fees

Fees associated with the Israeli PCT national phase entry as well as other patent fees are available in the fee calculator.

• The deadline for the PCT national phase entry in Israel

The deadline for Israeli national phase entry of a PCT application is 30 months from the priority date. Under certain circumstances, the Israeli Patent Office may allow the request for restoration of this term. There is no deadline for requesting the restoration.

• Minimum of filing documents in Israel

- request to grant a patent, containing applicant's details and address for correspondence in Israel;
- international application, including any amendments made during the international phase;
- filing fees.

• Language of the Israeli PCT national phase entry application

The application may be filed in English or Hebrew. If the international application is filed in any other foreign languages, the translation thereof should be submitted within three months from entering the PCT national phase.

• Information Disclosure Statement

The applicant is obliged to disclose by way of an Information Disclosure Statement (IDS), any information that could be considered to be material to a determination of patentability of the claimed invention. This duty extends to an applicant’s legal representative and anyone involved in the registration of the application. The information can be of any type, and includes, but is not limited to, prior art. The duty continues until a patent is issued or the application is abandoned. An intentional failure to submit an IDS may result in a later declaration of the patent as unenforceable. No official fees are associated with filing an IDS. Additionally, during the national phase of a PCT application in Israel, the submission of the Copy of the International Search Report and, if applicable, the International Preliminary Examination Report, is typically required.

• Power of Attorney requirements

Legalisation or notarization of a Power of Attorney is not required. A simply signed digital copy of the Power of Attorney should be submitted within three months from entering the Israeli PCT national phase.

• Substantive examination

Patent applications in Israel are automatically examined in the received order, and no request for initiation of this process must be filed. The applicant should only file the request for acceleration (expedition) of the examination, if necessary. It is also possible to request an accelerated examination under PPH. If the invention's subject matter is environmental technology ("Green" applications), it may undergo fast-track application process on the applicant's request.

• Novelty grace period

The right of the owner of an invention to be granted a patent shall not be disproved by publication if it is established that the matter published was obtained from the owner of the invention or his predecessor in title and was published without his consent, and if the patent application was filed within a reasonable time after the publication became known to the applicant.

The novelty of the invention is not disproved by the disclosure thereof if:
- it is made by the owner of the invention or his predecessor in title;
- it is made or used at a trade or agricultural show in Israel, or at recognized exhibition in one of the Member States of which the Patent office has received a formal notification prior to their opening;
- the publication was performed by way of using the invention, regardless of owners' consent, at the time and place of the exhibition or outside it, provided that the patent application was submitted within 6 months following the opening of the exhibition.

In addition, the novelty of the invention is not affected by the disclosure made by the inventor if it is performed in the way of a lecture held by the inventor before a scientific society or by way of publication of such lecture in official publications of the scientific society, provided that the Patent Office received notice of the lecture before it is held and that the patent application is filed within 6 months from the date of such publication. 

• Grant and patent maintenance

The official fee for issuance should be paid within three months from the date of the Notice before Acceptance. After payment of the issue fee a Notice of Allowance will be issued and the application will be published for oppositions for a period of additional three months. Assuming that no oppositions were filed, the applicant will be granted a Patent. The first maintenance fees for 1-6 years must be paid within three months from the decision to grant a patent. All further maintenance fees are to be paid every 4 years. The maintenance fees may also be paid for the whole patent validity term at once.

• Representation by a patent attorney

For the foreigners, it is recommended to perform the Israeli PCT national phase entry through an agent, a registered Israeli patent attorney.

• Notes

1. Online search database for Israeli Patents.
2. It is not possible to enter the Israeli PCT national stage as a utility model application.

Brief summary is based on the information provided by Soroker, Agmon, Nordman on 19.02.2024
Please contact us if the above information contains any discrepancies with Israeli IP Laws