Yesterday, the Israel PTO published a "Call for Comments" about possible changes to the Patent Statute. Formally, it was the Justice Ministry that published the document, but enough of the content focuses on the patent examination process that it's clear that the ideas in the document originated with the Patent Office. The deadline for responses is March 1, 2021.
While no specific changes to existing legislation are proposed - the document merely floats some ideas that apparently have been on the minds of some ILPTO personnel, and asks for comments - one gets the feeling from the (sometimes very pointed) questions asked that with regard to some of the issues, the person or persons behind the document is leaning in a particular direction. On other issues, the direction is less clear, and the questions make the document appear to be an ILPTO fishing expedition, without a clear sense of the quarry.
The document is 15 pages long, so we'll save specific comments for later blog posts. But among the curious aspects to the document are the fact that it includes a number possible statutory changes that would constitute significant changes in substantive patent policy. Which leads to the question, why is the ILPTO proposing IP policy?