Electronic Filing of Israel Designs

On December 29,the ILPTO launched its electronic filing system for design applications. We haven't yet tested it ourselves...and based on the EFS for patents, we don't know if anyone practicing in the field actually tested it before launch. As with the electronic filing system for patents launched last year, use of this system will become obligatory for patent practitioners representing others, as well as for non-natural persons applying for design protection; the six-month trial period is not meant for beta-testing but rather to allow practitioners to get used to the system (because, you know, the system was designed to make the ILPTO's job easier, and it no doubt does that, so as long as it achieves that goal, the question of how well it serves the public is moot).  Presumbably, even with the expected design flaws and bugs that may or may not be fixed, it will on the whole represent an improvement over the current system. We'll post updates once we've checked it out.