Legal Research

IP News: The Cooperative Patent Classification System is Coming!

By Leslie A. Pardo

The heart of the U. S. patent system is the U. S. Patent Classification Manual- the system the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) uses to classify patents into topical areas.-the classification hierarchy. An inventor uses the classification system to conduct a patent or novelty search to determine if your idea is new and unique. The USPTO and the European Patent Office (EPO) held meetings in 2010 at the USPTO offices and subsequently at The Hague in January, 2011, to announce principles for a new Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC). The new joint classification system will be co-managed by the EPO and the USPTO. The CPC is based on the International Patent Classification system administered by the World Intellectual Property Association.For more information please read the press release: http://www.uspto.gov/news/pr/2011/11_09.jsp 

Full post as published by Ross-Blakley Law Library Blog on February 07, 2011 (boomark / email).