The proposed research is aimed at studying Israeli patent law from a theoretical and comparative law perspective. Unlike the U.S. and the EU, Israel has not seriously considered its patent law policies since the enactment of its 1967 Patent Act and no serious scholarly consideration of the subject has been undertaken since then.The Israeli high-tech sector is widely regarded as a hotbed of cutting-edge technologies, and as the growth engine of the Israeli economy in the 90s and beyond. Despite the appearance that Israel sprang onto the high-tech scene from nowhere, many factors have slowly melded together to produce an environment in which the creation of high technology has begun to thrive. Israel also has a very impressive scientific potential in the life sciences. However, in sharp contrast to the information technology sector, there are no R&D centers of major multi-national pharmaceutical or biotechnology companies in Israel. Some argue that the patent policy concerning pharmaceutical and biotechnology inventions constitutes a major barrier in realizing Israel's potential in this field. Israeli patent law needs to be updated in order to provide better opportunities in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical fields as well as sustain a mature high-tech industry.Therefore, the proposed project will focus on examining Israeli patent law from a theoretical and comparative perspective and strive to offer patent reforms initiatives that will modernize Israeli patent law doctrine. The project will focus attention on the underlying policies of patent doctrines. While the project is directed primarily toward a legal audience, it will also cover the economic and other policy considerations that frequently control the direction of the law in the area. These policy discussions are intended to provide the project's core legal audience with a deeper understanding of forces shaping the law.