International Patent Classification (IPC)

Browse and Search the Current IPC or Earlier Versions

• The International Patent Classification (IPC), established by the Strasbourg Agreement 1971, 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.
   
• WIPO launched on September 16, 2010, an on-line tool associated with the International Patent Classification (IPC) that will facilitate searches for patent information relating to so-called Environmentally Sound Technologies (ESTs) to help in identifying existing and emerging green technologies and potential partners for further R&D and commercial exploitation.