Israel Country Profile
KEY INFORMATION
- Population: 9 million
- GDP: US$ 394.65 billion (2019)
- GDP growth: 3.5% (2019)
- Export from Australia: US$195.37 million (2019)
- Import from Israel: US$611.38 million (2019)
Opportunities in Israel
Israel, officially known as the State of Israel, is a country in Western Asia, located on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and the northern shore of the Red Sea.
Israel has a technologically advanced market economy with substantial, though diminishing, government participation. Israel’s economy has been growing continuously for the past 16 years, averaging 3.8 per cent GDP growth annually.
The country’s innovation eco-system is one of the most developed in the world, shaped by a sophisticated system of major global investors, start-ups, the Israeli military and universities. There are more than 350 multinational research and development (R&D) centres in Israel, established by global companies
On the back of the rapid expansion of the hi-tech sector, services exports now account for over 46 per cent of Israel’s total exports.
Major Australian exports includes live animals (excl seafood), beef, plastic plates, sheets & film and pearls & gems. Major Australian imports are arms & ammunition, mineral manufactures, pearls & gems and telecom equipment & parts.
Why Register Your Trade Mark in Israel?
Trade Marks are letters, digits, words, images, symbols or a combination thereof, which are used by manufacturers or service providers in order to identify their goods and services to the consumers.
Even though it is not mandatory to register Trade Marks in Israel, the registration of the mark confers upon its owner the exclusive use of the mark in relation to the products or services for which it is registered; it also serves to protect the public against deception regarding the origin of the goods/services in question.
How to Apply for a Trade Mark in Israel?
In Israel, Trade Mark applications are filed with the Trade Mark department of the Israel Patent Office (IPO). Israel is also a member state to the Madrid Protocol. Thus, the extension of an international registration of a Trade Mark via the Madrid System is possible for this country.
Once filed, the application is checked to see if it was filled out correctly, and that all mandatory requirements are fulfilled and official fees have been paid. If the application meets all requirements, an application number and date are allocated alongside an official confirmation.
After the application has been examined as to its formalities, an essential examination is carried out in order to established the legitimacy of the application. If the application has been considered invalidad for registration, a notice is sent and the applicant has 3 months to respond the notice. Otherwise, the application is considered as abandoned.
If the application is accepted for registration, it is published in the Official Israeli Trade Marks Journal, which is published online on a monthly basis.
Within 3 months from the date of publication, third parties may file an opposition to the registration of the Trade Mark. If no oppositions are filed by the end of the opposition period, or if an opposition process was initiated and a decision was made in favor of the applicant, the Trade Mark shall be granted protection and registered. The registration date starts on the date on which the Trade Mark application was filed.
Filing an application through WIPO
Alternatively to filing an application before the IPO, you may apply for Trade Mark protections in Israel under the Madrid Protocol before the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) if you already have a registered Trade Mark.
The Madrid system that is governed by the Madrid agreement and the Madrid protocol provides one single procedure for the filing, registration and maintenance of Trade Marks in several territories, as long as those territories are party to the system. Registration of a mark under the Agreement provides for the legal equivalent of registration in member countries designated by the Trade Mark owner.
The cost of an international Trade Mark registration includes the basic fee CHF 653, plus additional costs depending on where you want to protect your mark. For Israel, this fee is CHF 469 for the first class of goods or services and CHF 352 for each additional class.
Maintaining your Trade Mark rights in Israel
Managing your brand implies regularly renewing your Trade Marks and enforcing your rights against infringers and counterfeiters. The assignment and licensing of Trade Mark rights may play a significant role in brand commercialisation through partnership, merger and franchising initiatives.
Registered Trade Marks in Israel have a validity of ten (10) years from the application date and can be renewed indefinitely for further periods of ten (10) years. The renewal can be requested within three (3) months before the expiration date and until the last day of the month during which it expires. After this, there is a grace period of six (6) months during which the Trade Mark can still be renewed, upon payment of a late renewal fee.
Cancellation of the registration of a Trade Mark may be made by any person interested on the ground that there was no bona fide intention to use the Trade Mark in connection with the goods for which it was registered and that there has been in fact no bona fide use of the Trade Mark in connection with those goods, or that there had not been any use during the two years preceding the application for cancellation. Cancellations shall not proceed when it is proved that the non-use is due to special circumstances in the trade.
