Top of Notices   (355)  December 27, 2016

US PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE

Print This Notice 1433 CNOG  2727

PCT, International Applications

Referenced Items (351, 352, 353, 354, 355, 356, 357, 358, 359, 360, 361, 362, 363, 364, 365, 366, 367, 368, 369, 370, 371, 372, 373, 374, 375, 376, 377, 378, 379, 380, 381, 382, 383, 384)

(355)      Notice Concerning the Israel Patent Office's Action
               as an International Searching Authority and
            International Preliminary Examining Authority for
            International Applications Received by the United
                    States Patent and Trademark Office

   The conditions under which the Israel Patent Office (ILPO) will act as
an International Searching Authority (ISA) and an International Preliminary
Examining Authority (IPEA) under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) for
international applications filed with the United States Patent and
Trademark Office (USPTO) as a Receiving Office (RO/US) have changed
effective April 10, 2016. The condition that the ILPO will not act as an
ISA for applications with one or more claims directed to a business method
as defined by specified areas of the International Patent Classification
System has been removed. Additionally, the condition that the ILPO will
not act as an ISA where it has received more than 75 international
applications from the USPTO during a fiscal quarter has been changed; the
number has been increased from 75 to 100.

   This change is the result of a new "Arrangement between the Israel
Patent Office and the United States Patent and Trademark Office Concerning
Action of the Israel Patent Office as an International Searching Authority
and Preliminary Examining Authority under the Patent Cooperation
International Treaty for Certain International Application Received by the
United States Patent and Trademark Office" signed on April 5, 2016 by the
Under Secretary for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO and on
April 10, 2016 by the Director of the ILPO and Commissioner of Patents,
Designs and Trademarks. The signed Arrangement became effective on April
10, 2016.

   Under the new Arrangement, the ILPO may act as an ISA under the PCT for
international applications filed with the RO/US provided that: (1) the
applications are submitted in the English language; (2) the ILPO has not
received more than 100 international applications from the USPTO during a
fiscal quarter; and (3) the ILPO is chosen as a competent authority by the
applicants of said applications. The ILPO will also act as an IPEA if these
three requirements are met, and the ILPO acted as the ISA.

   The USPTO will continue to collect the search fees from the applicants,
and will transmit the search fees to the ILPO. The search fee for the ILPO
acting as an ISA for international applications received by the USPTO is
$912 (USD) effective March 22, 2016. Any other fees necessary for search
or examination or incidental thereto will continue to be paid by applicants
directly to the ILPO.

   The new Arrangement between the USPTO and the ILPO follows. Notice is
provided now due to the inadvertent omission to do so at the time of
signing.

October 31, 2016                                            MICHELLE K. LEE
                  Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and
                  Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office

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