A Brief Overview on Trademark Registration in Israel

 

General information

  • According to the Israeli Trademark Ordinance, there are two forms of marks: Textual and figurative (logo).
  • The trademark classification is according to Nice Classification.
  • Israel is a member of the Madrid Agreement, which allows registration of a trademark worldwide.


Mark Filing and Prosecution

  • Filing a trademark application is carried out at the Trademark department of the Israeli Patent Authority in Jerusalem.
  • After the filing, the application is examined for formal correctness.
  • Assuming no formal defects found, the application enters into the examination queue, which currently takes about 15 months.
  • Assuming no essential defects found, a trademark Notice of Allowance is published and the public is entitled to file an objection within 3 months from the publication date.
  • If no objection is filed, the trademark is granted, and the applicant may use the (R) and (TM) signs with his registered Israeli trademark.


Maintaining a registered trademark in force

  • Before 10 years from the filing date, the applicant has to pay maintenance fee for the next 10 years.


Accelerating an examination 

  • An applicant can accelerate a trademark examination by providing appropriate reasoning and paying a fee thereof.
  • Upon accepting the reasoning, the examination skips the queue, and the mark is instantly examined.


Searching for registered trademarks

One can apply to the Israeli Trademark Commissioner for requesting a profound search of trademarks. The profound search requires paying a fee thereof.

Madrid agreement:

A trademark can be registered worldwide using the "Madrid System". The advantage of the Madrid system is that one can register a trademark in several countries using one form and one fee.

In order to register a trademark using the Madrid system, the applicant must have a registered trademark in Israel or at least have an application for a trademark in Israel or in one of the countries signed on the "Madrid system".

The fees consist of a fee for the local office through which the international application is submitted (for example the Israeli Patent Authority), an additional fee for WIPO (the World Intellectual Property Organization) and an additional fee for each country in which the trademark is to be protected.


Disclaimer: The information on this web site is general and cannot take the place of professional advice given with full knowledge of the specific circumstances of each case following consideration of the relevant facts and laws. Furthermore, for the sake of clarity, some details have been omitted or partially specified.