Israel

• Available Market Research

• Best Prospects in the ICT Market

• Chambers of Commerce

• Channels of Distribution

  • Agents / Distributors

  • Business to Business (B2B)

    • Airlines

    • Banks

    • Newspapers

    • US Subsidiaries

  • E-Commerce

    • ASP

    • Internet Service Providers

  • Educational

  • Governmental

  • Leasing

  • OEM

    • Software

      • Information Security

  • Telecommunications Systems Operators

  • Used / Reconditioned

  • VARS, ISVs, Resellers, System Integrators

    • VARS

• Directories and Databases

• Duties, Tariffs & Taxes

• General Country Information

• Intellectual Property Rights

• Legal Issues

• Market Research

• Search Engines

• Trade Associations

• Trade Publications

• Trade Shows, Exhibitions and Seminars

• Trade Statistics

• User Groups

• E-Mail Links to the Respective Industry Specialist(s)

Available Market Research

Industry Sector Analyses are industry specific reports prepared either by US Commercial Service Staff or local market research contractors.   Typical reports include:

• A Market Overview

• Market Highlights and Best prospects

• Statistical Data

• Best Sales Prospects

• Competitive Analysis

• End-User Analysis

• Market Access (includes information on duties, taxes, standards etc.)

• Trade Promotion Opportunities

• Trade Publications

• Market Research Companies

• Trade Associations

• Agents, Distributors and Manufacturers

International Marketing Insights (IMI) contain industry specific information and are short, concise reports.  

For a listing of available ISAs and / or IMIs, please click here.

This information is available free of charge to all US companies. 

Welcome to the U.S. Commercial Service

The U.S. Department of Commerce is represented worldwide by the Commercial Service.  The Commercial Service supports U.S. commercial interests and assists American businesses in their export marketing efforts.

Our offices offer business counseling and a wide range of tailored services to assist American firms to identify business opportunities throughout the world. Our offices foreign companies who wish to partner with American companies in areas of distribution of American products, joint ventures, and licensing. While some services are fee-based, many are provided free of charge. We welcome you to our site and encourage you to visit other websites that are likely to be of interest to you.  To find the country of interest, please visit: http://www.buyusa.gov/home/export.html. 

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Best Prospects in the ICT Market

For further information about the Israeli market, please consult the Country Commercial Guide.

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Chambers of Commerce

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Channels of Distribution

For further information of the definitions of the channels of distribution, please click here. The following are known ICT sales channels.   They may or may not be available in all markets

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Agents / Distributors

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Business to Business (B2B)

None noted

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Airlines

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Banks

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Newspapers

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US Subsidiaries

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E-Commerce

ASP

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Internet Service Providers

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Educational

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Governmental

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Leasing

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OEM

Software

Information Security

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Telecommunications Systems Operators

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Used / Reconditioned

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VARS, ISVs, Resellers, System Integrators

VARS

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Directories and Databases

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Duties, Tariffs & Taxes

Current Tariffs and Taxes on Computer Hardware and Software can be found at: http://web.ita.doc.gov/. 

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General Country Information

http://www.state.gov/	US Dept. of State's Background Notes
http://travel.state.gov/	US Dept. of State's Consular Information Sheet
http://www.usembassy-israel.org.il/	US Embassy Tel Aviv
http://www.eia.doe.gov/	Department of Energy's Country Analysis Brief
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/l	The World-Wide Web Virtual Library
http://geography.about.com/	About's guide to Israel
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/	Lonely Planet's Guide to Israel
http://www.fodors.com/	Fodors is known for being the best site for travel offering hotel, restaurant reviews and their series of mini-guides to specific destinations.
http://travel.lycos.com/	Lycos City Guide for Israel

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Intellectual Property Rights

Israel has a legal framework to ensure the protection of intellectual property rights (IPR). Israel adheres to the major multilateral IPR agreements, including the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property, and the Geneva Phonograph Convention. Israel is a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), and passed legislation in 1999 designed to bring it into compliance with the WTO agreement on Trade in Intellectual Property and Services (TRIPS). Israeli law provides for injunctive relief, damages, seizure and destruction of infringing goods, provisional relief, customs border controls and criminal and/or civil sanctions against infringers.
 
There continues to be illegal production, importation, and sale of copyrighted and trademarked goods. Private industry works closely with the police on enforcement of IPR laws. To improve enforcement, Israel has established a special IPR police unit and increased seizures of counterfeit goods entering Israel. Recent amendments to the copyright laws are expected to give police and prosecutors additional tools to combat copyright piracy.
 
In 2003, the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) moved Israel from the Special 301 "Priority Watch List" to the "Watch List" on account of Israel's efforts to toughen its copyright enforcement regime. USTR praised Israel's efforts to improve IPR protection, but noted that the new copyright amendments exclude corporate end-user piracy from criminal liability, a step that may lead to weaker protection for business software. In addition, USTR pointed out that Israeli law does not provide adequate protection for proprietary pharmaceutical test data.
 
Patents
Patent protection is provided for twenty years from filing. Both product and process patent protection for pharmaceuticals are permitted. Israel employs compulsory licensing in very limited circumstances, including: for medicines and some other patented products; for a dependent patent (i.e., an earlier patent on which use of a later patent is dependent); in case of abuse of monopoly; where the Arab boycott precludes use of the patent; or where the product is not being supplied in Israel on reasonable terms. Israel permits parallel importation of patented pharmaceuticals under limited conditions with the approval of the Health Ministry.
 
Pharmaceutical Data Exclusivity
Israel does not have legislation that would provide a reasonable period of non-reliance on pharmaceutical test data as required by the WTO's TRIPS agreement. As USTR noted in its 2003 Special 301 report, this policy places Israel at odds with other OECD-level economies and many of Israel's neighbors that have met their TRIPS Article 39.3 obligations. There is no indication that Israeli authorities share confidential data submitted by U.S. pharmaceutical firms in support of marketing applications with local domestic competitors. Nonetheless, Israel does not deny that it relies, or allows a third party without authorization to rely, on this data when approving marketing applications from domestic generic competitors of U.S. innovator firms.
 
Copyright
Israel's present copyright law is based on the United Kingdom Copyright Act of 1911, with subsequent amendments. Protections include the exclusive right to (a) copy or reproduce the work; (b) translate or otherwise adapt the work; (c) distribute copies of the work; and (d) publicly communicate the work. There is no explicit protection for derivative works, but protection would be granted provided the derivative work includes sufficient elements of originality. Computer software is expressly protected as a "literary work." Sound recordings are protected and the law provides for rental and leasing rights for sound recordings and compensation to copyright holders for private copying onto blank cassettes. In 2002 the Knesset passed into law amendments to the copyright laws that increase penalties for copyright violations and simplify the ability of police and prosecutors to bring changes against persons suspected of copyright infringements. However, the new copyright amendments exclude corporate end-user piracy from criminal liability.
 
Trademarks
Trademarks are protected under the Trade Marks Ordinance, and appellations of origin are protected under the Appellations of Origin (Protection) Law.
 
Trade Secrets
The 1999 Commercial Torts Law provides specifically for protection of trade secrets and supplements the protection provided through case law. Trade secrets are classified as privileged information under the evidence and civil procedure law, and the penal law provides that an employee with express knowledge of a trade secret who reveals it may be imprisoned for up to six months. In addition, a tort action may be brought against an individual who divulges a trade secret. There is no limitation on the length of time for classifying an item as a trade secret.
 
Integrated Circuits
In 1999, the GOI passed a law specifically to protect semiconductor chip design. The law is intended to meet all requirements.

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Legal Issues

None Noted

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Market Research

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Search Engines

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Trade Associations

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Trade Publications

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Trade Shows, Exhibitions and Seminars

Additional information on how to prepare for and select an international trade show can be found at http://www.exportmichigan.biz/. 

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User Groups

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E-Mail Links to the Respective Industry Specialist(s)

Irit Wolff, Commercial Specialist

Telephone: 972-3-519 7540

Facsimile: 972-3-510-7215

Industry Sectors: Process Controls - Industrial (PCI), Telecommunications Eq. (TEL), Telecommunications Services (TES)

Liana Foksheneanu, Commercial Specialist

Telephone: 972-3-519-7491

Facsimile: 972-3-510-7215

E-mail address: lfokshen@mail.doc.gov 

Industry Sectors: CAD/CAM/CAE/CIM (CAD), Computer Services (CSV), Computer Software (CSF), Computers/Peripherals (CPT), Information Services (INF)

OFFICE INFORMATION

STREET ADDRESS

American Embassy

71 Hayarkon Street

Tel Aviv, ISRAEL 63903

U.S. MAILING ADDRESS

American Embassy - Tel Aviv

Commercial Service, Unit 7228, Box 0021

APO AE 09830

Revised: November 08, 2008