In a but welcome move, the Israel Commissioner of Patents has ruled that packages deposited at the Israel Patent Office after hours no longer require date-stamping.
In the past, there was a security guard on duty 24 hours a day at the Israel Patent Office. Every letter or parcel deposited could get date stamped with the exact time and date of receipt. After budgetary cutbacks however, there has not been a night watchman over the last couple of years.
In his first year after becoming Commissioner of Patents, Dr. Meir Noam, made several rulings regarding the time clock and eventually dispensed with it altogether, leaving a date stamp for people depositing packages to stamp the time of depositing.
Apparently, some dishonourable practitioners are believed to have deposited their packages in the early hours, but nevertheless stamped the packages as having been delivered before midnight. In consequence, Dr. Meir Noam has now ruled that all packages deposited through the night, up until the patent office opens for business the following morning, will be considered as having arrived the previous day. This provides a welcome, albeit undeserved pressure release for attorneys filing PCT applications which invariably are only authorized for filing on the last day. This is critical since missing the 12 month PCT deadline invalidates the application.
