According to WIPO, the reform of the International Patent Classification (IPC) system will ensure more consistent search results, and wider use by intellectual property offices.
WIPO Director General, Francis Gurry, welcomed the recommendations as a significant improvement to the IPC. “The IPC is a unique international tool for searching patent information. This move towards simplified classification will help facilitate the widespread sharing of the technological knowledge stored in patent databases, which is a major objective for WIPO.”
The IPC system, which divides all fields of technology into hierarchical sets of sections, classes, subclasses and groups, is used in conducting searches to establish the novelty of an invention, or to determine the state of the art in a particular area of technology. The IPC is also used by companies to search competitors’ patents.
The current IPC structure, introduced in 2006, consists of a core level and a much more detailed advanced level, with different publication dates.
The latest reforms will result in a number of changes:
The IPC structure will be simplified by abolishing the distinction between the core and advanced level from January 2011 .
Development of the IPC will be accelerated with the aim of building a unified international patent classification, by integrating the US and Japanese classifications.
New working procedures will enhance the use of the e-Forum, through which experts conduct technical consultations.
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