32 Working from home apparently opened unexpected possibilities for inventors, creators, and entrepreneurs, who found more time to pursue projects previously set aside or delayed because of time and work constraints. Somuch so that we see now a reluctance to go back to work in the office as before the pandemic, although the general sentiment in Israel (true or not) is that COVID-19 is behind us. This is undoubtedly also due to the swift action of the Israeli government that secured COVID vaccines for the whole population at a very early stage. In addition to the changes introduced because of COVID-19, such as enabling online discussions and proceedings, improving regulations, and providing online services, there have been some interestingdevelopments in various areas of intellectual property that are reviewed below. Continuous Development of International Cooperation Israel is a member of many multilateral international treaties, such as the Patent Cooperation Treaty, The Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, the Madrid Protocol, The Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, and more. In 2020, Israel also joined The Hague Agreement Concerning the International Deposit of Industrial Designs. As expected, the number of design applications filed by Israeli applicants via the Hague Agreement continues to grow. “The Abraham Accords,” the peace agreement signed initially between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, is one of the most significant developments in this area in recent times. Briefly known as “the Accord,” it resulted in further peace and cooperation agreements with Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco. Recently, they also brought about a small step forward with Saudi Arabia, which now allow Israeli airplanes to fly over its territory, which significantly shortens flying times to some destinations. These agreements have far-reaching positive implications for the region’s economic development, both for Israel and the Gulf states. This formal peace agreement is a natural evolution of the relationships that Israelis have maintained with Arab states “under the radar” for many years. As is natural because of their international orientation, IP firms were among the first to openly reach out to each other, and they found professional, warm, and eager business partners at the other end. It may seem incredible that strong relationships could develop spontaneously in a matter of days after years of disconnect between the Arab world and Israel, but in truth the divide between people and businesses has never run as deep as the political situation would suggest.
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