Yesterday, the Israel PTO circulated a notice via its email list stating that beginning July 1, 2012 it would accept full electronic filing of PCT applications in its capacity as a PCT Receiving Office (RO). The ILPTO’s announcement last year that it would accept partial electronic PCT filing, by way of filing on a CD-ROM, was met with a lukewarm reception, but the implementation of full electronic filing is a most welcome development. Coupled with the fact that since last week, filers at the IL/RO have been able to choose to have their PCT searches conducted by the ILPTO, at a cost of about $1000 (as opposed the approximately $2000 for a search at the USPTO or $2400 at the EPO), this makes filing at the IL/RO a more attractive option.
Presumably, electronic filing will be an option even at times when the ILPTO itself is closed. Thus the availability of electronic filing may herald the end of the occasional practice of filing PCT applications after the end of the priority year on the first day the ILPTO is open thereafter, even though under PCT rules filing under such circumstances would appear to continue to be permissible without loss of priority rights. Then again, electronic filing at WIPO has been available for some time, but post-priority year filings at the IL/RO when the office re-opens after Succot and Pesach have continued, so maybe the new option in Israel won’t matter in this regard.
No word yet on when electronic filing of Israel patent applications will become a reality, but hopefully this announcement is a harbinger of a similar announcement concerning local filings. After all, it’s pretty silly that on July 1 an applicant will be able to file a PCT at the ILPTO electronically, but if that same applicant wants to enter the national phase in Israel on July 2 he’ll have to do so by providing the ILPTO with a paper copy of the application that’s already in the ILPTO’s possession.