The IP5 Offices are working on harmonising their classification practice, in both the Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) and FI (File Indexing) schemes, as well as in the International Patent Classification (IPC) scheme. The IP5 WG1 is being used as the driving force for promoting necessary changes into the IPC under the WIPO framework of the IPC Committee of Experts.
The activities of the IP5 WG1 are focused on developing the IPC further in areas where the IP5 Offices have an interest in doing so (e.g. technical areas currently not existing in the IPC but available in an internal scheme).
These activities consist of:
- Revising the IPC in areas where CPC and FI/F-term entries match, where considered appropriate, by directly introducing the scheme entries into the IPC.
- Quickly adapting classification schemes to fast moving areas / emerging technologies so that, already in the early stages of a technology, examiners from the IP5 Offices can benefit from an effective and up-to-date scheme with a sufficient granularity in those technical areas.
Further information on classification can be found at the following links: