In the period 18 -19 January 2016, a working visit of Israel Patent Office (ILPO) delegation took place at the State Agency on Intellectual Property (AGEPI).
The purpose of the visit was to strengthen cooperation relations between Moldova and Israel in the field of intellectual property and establish permanent exchange of experience in relation to the administration of industrial design protection system.
Israel delegation included the Director of the Israel Patent Office, Mr. Asa Kling and Head of Designs Department of ILPO, Mrs. Alice Mahlis Abramovich.
The visit program provided for the ILPO delegation meeting with the AGEPI administration and experts, within which the parties have made an overview of intellectual property systems in the Republic of Moldova and Israel.
Subsequently there was an exchange of experience between the two offices on the protection of industrial designs. The delegation from Israel was informed on the national procedure for the examination of applications for registration of industrial designs (receipt and management of applications, substantive examination and issuance of decision, description of external appearance of industrial designs, completion of database, publication, renewal of validity, etc.).
A subject of priority interest to the delegation from Israel was AGEPI experience in the application of provisions of the Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs, the benefits of Moldova's accession to this international agreement for users in our country, as well as technical aspects pertaining to the procedure for submission and examination of international applications in the field.
During the meetings there were discussions on challenging the decisions on industrial designs and actions in court. Parties also exchanged information on promotion activities of intellectual property, including industrial designs.
ILPO delegation members, for their part, provided information on the activities of Israel Patent Office, including the current system of industrial design protection and the Office priorities in harmonizing this system with the best international practices in the field.
During the meeting, there were also identified priority directions of bilateral cooperation between the State Agency on Intellectual Property of the Republic of Moldova and Israel Patent Office in developing and strengthening national intellectual property protection systems.
Bilateral cooperation between the Republic of Moldova and Israel in the field of intellectual property dates back to 1995, when the Agreement on mutual exchange of patent data, official publications of the institutions, and information on national legislation in the field of patents was signed between Israel Patents and Trademarks Office and the State Agency on Industrial Property Protection.
