Classifications
International Patent Classification (IPC) (new window) – provides for a hierarchical system of language independent symbols for the classification of patents and utility models according to the different areas of technology to which they pertain.
The IPC is also a tool for systematizing patent documentation, which facilitates access to the technical information collected in this documentation. It is also used to generate statistics related to industrial property, what enables the assessment of progress in the different fields of technology.
The source language versions of the IPC text are the English and French versions developed by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) (new window).
The IPC is currently undergoing revision once a year, usually at the beginning of the calendar year. The Patent Office of the Republic of Poland updates and publishes subsequent versions of the IPC, including the current version in Polish.
The Locarno Classification (new window) – International Classification for Industrial Designs, established by the Locarno Agreement (1968), is an international classification used for the purposes of the registration of industrial designs. The list of Locarno Classification products is systematized in alphabetical and class order. The products are assigned to classes and subclasses, and classes are numbered.