The Israeli Patent Authority announced yesterday the ratification by the State of Israel of the Hague Agreement

The Israeli Patent Authority announced yesterday the ratification by the State of Israel of the Hague Agreement with regard to the international registration of industrial designs (The Hague  Agreement concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs). The implication of the agreement is that effective from January 3, 2020, Israeli citizens and companies can apply for design registration in member countries and government organizations which are part of the agreement (currently 88 countries) in one application filed with the International Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

In the international application, the applicant must specify the countries in which protection is requested, and pay the appropriate fees for each country specified in the application. Upon receipt of the application at WIPO, it will be subject to a procedural examination (the quality of the images submitted, payment of required fees, etc.), and undergoes further substantive examination in each of the states specified in the application. The examination procedure in each designated country does not affect examination in other jurisdictions, as each application is reviewed in accordance with local laws.

In some cases, filing an international design registration application can  be cost-saving for the design owner, compared to the current situation, in which the owner must submit a separate application in each country where design protection is sought.

For further reading on the ILPO website click here