The CPC classification system enters into force at the EPO and the USPTO

The Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) system is the result of a project for cooperation set up on 25 October 2010 between the European Patent Office (EPO) and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). It aims to provide a common system for classifying technical documents, especially patent documents, to be applied by both offices in their respective patent granting systems. The CPC will enter into force in the EPO and the USPTO on 1 January 2013.

A system managed by both offices
The Cooperative Patent Classification system is based on the European Classification system (ECLA) and has included the best classification practices of the USPTO. The system is managed by both offices and affords sufficient detail and depth to be able to meet the needs of the different technical areas. It will provide the best possible coverage for the collection of world patent documents. The aim is also to standardise application of the classification, regarding both the allocation of codes to published documents and search strategies.

This project amounts to a great challenge for both offices. The EPO has had to make a great effort to update and improve the European classification system (ECLA) as this served as the basis for the CPC. For this purpose, a large number of new entries were introduced in the system. For USPTO, adoption of the CPC amounts to a radical change in both its classification philosophy and its search methods, which so far have been based on the American classification system (USPC) and not on International Patent Classification (IPC). The CPC brings USPTO into line with other Industrial Property offices, thus improving standardisation and the sharing of work among patent systems.

An official website offering full information on the CPC and a newsletter on the CPC have been set up.