Following a successful two day visit by senior European computer technology Examiners to the Israel Patent Office, where one day was for Examiners and a second day for practitioners in private practice, the Israel Patent Office has announced a forthcoming second event, this time focusing on chemistry patenting.
I am very pleased that the patent office is running internal seminars for training their examiners, and hope that the standards of Israel searches and examination will approach that provided by Examiners at the EPO. Since workers of the EPO have to speak three languages and have a tax-free EU civil service salary, whereas in Israel, civil service salaries are not all they could be, I can’t see it happening. That as may be, I view this development of the Israel Patent Office training patent attorneys to work opposite them with some concern. It should be appreciated that we sit on different sides of the fence, and it is the job of private practitioners such as myself to try to stretch the boundaries of what is patentable (unless we are opposing a third party’s application). I think this development is basically unhealthy. Having high level seminars hosted by bodies other than patent attorney firms is, however, healthy. I’d prefer the AIPI / AIPPI / AIPA to be more active in running events training patent attorneys, and obviously they could coordinate with the patent office to bring over speakers. The new international IP school at Haifa University or the IP at Work initiative at ONO could also host such events.
We also note that the last Patent Office event was limited to only 30 participants anyway and the list of registrants was also handled in an amateurish way. Although registered, I had to go abroad on business at short notice, so missed the previous event itself, which is a shame, but I understand it was very well put together.
Posted by Dr Michael Factor 
