In Israel, there is no automatic publication of patent applications after 18 months. Instead, on allowance and on payment of a publication fee, the Patent Office publishes the Application Number, details of applicant and a summary and representative image in the Patent Office Journal . The summary is usually based on the main claim and is written by the patent office staff. Apparently this is one of the reasons why the Patent Office Journal is frequently late.
In Patent Office Circular No. M.N. 73, Dr. Meir Noam has announced that, for the very many allowed patents that are national phase entries of PCT applications, the Patent Office will now publish the Official PCT Abstract rather than have a new summary written.
We applaud this decision which will hopefully increase efficiency, and hope that the cost savings will be passed on to the applicants, with lowered fees.
We note that back in 2006 there was a first reading of an amendment to the Israel Patent Law to allow automatic publication after 18 months as happens with most other advanced industrialized countries. This amendment was never passed but it is hoped that it will be legislated by the current Knesset. Other IP legislation that is held up is design law, with Israel still following a hundred year old ordinance inherited from the British.
