In Israel, there are two laws dealing with the subject of model registration, and these include the Patents and Designs Ordinance from 1924 and the Designs Law from 2017. In these lines, we won’t be able to explain all the principles and foundations for examining model or design registration in Israel, but we can tell you what a model is, why it’s important to register it, and what type of protection it grants to your intellectual property.
In the past, whoever wanted to protect a design submitted a model application. Now it’s no longer possible to submit models, but many applicants hold a model-type right. Now, whoever wants to protect a design submits an application according to the Designs Law for a design.
So What is a Design or Model Anyway?
Well, the first thing important to clarify is that not every product design is a model or eligible for design registration. The definition of a model can be found in the Patents and Designs Ordinance, according to which a model is: “figure lines, shape, pattern or ornament that individualize any object by an industrial process or means, whether by hand or machine work or by chemical action, in separate or combined form, that are prominent to the seeing eye in the finished product, and can be distinguished only in appearance, but the term does not include any method or building principle or anything that is essentially nothing but a mechanical device.” In other words, a model is a design or industrial design of a new product that isn’t derived directly from the product’s functionality. Additionally, a registered model must meet three conditions including: novelty, originality, and uniqueness (wasn’t previously published). As mentioned, the subject of design protection is a complex subject to understand within the thicket of legal nuances relevant to it, and therefore, in any design registration process in Israel, it’s highly recommended to consult with professionals before entering any registration procedure.
Is a Model or Design a Patent?
The answer is no. At the conceptual level, the purpose of patent registration and model registration in the past and design registration in the present is – to protect our intellectual property. In patent registration, we protect the invention itself, and in model or design registration, we provide ourselves protection for the product’s design. Model or design registration in Israel is performed within the framework of the Designs Department, formerly the Models Department, and involves a unique examination process based on different principles from those by which a patent is examined. A registered model or registered design is essentially a branch within the intellectual property world, alongside the registered patent branch, and is intended to protect a different type of copyrights. For the matter at hand, a patent is intended to protect an invention. A model or design, in contrast, protects a product design model, for example. The model itself must be detailed in a very specific way, but once approved, it can grant lateral protection on every product category where the design can be applied and which was included in the registration process. This is the place to note that model or design registration cost is also different from patent registration cost, usually significantly cheaper, although in complex models in the past and designs now, it can also be more expensive and depends on the level and scope of drawing and design work required in the application.
Generally, patent attorneys dealing with patent registration can usually also perform model registration in Israel in the past and now in designs. Av Tipus company is a company specializing in providing services from the idea stage by technical team and consulting patent attorneys. We provide comprehensive service to entrepreneurs and inventors at the beginning of their journey as well as to mature companies, including various solutions alongside development and research. Patent attorneys consult regarding registration in the patent, design, and model fields. With us, you can find a complete answer for the need for design registration in Israel and actually in the entire world, registration that will be performed by professionals in this patent field and can extract for you the highest value of registered design. For additional information and answers to all questions troubling you on the subject, contact us today at 03-9711011 and we’ll be happy to help with any question and matter.