About Intellectual Property IP Training IP Outreach IP for… IP and... IP in... Patent & Technology Information Trademark Information Industrial Design Information Geographical Indication Information Plant Variety Information (UPOV) IP Laws, Treaties & Judgements IP Resources IP Reports Patent Protection Trademark Protection Industrial Design Protection Geographical Indication Protection Plant Variety Protection (UPOV) IP Dispute Resolution IP Office Business Solutions Paying for IP Services Negotiation & Decision-Making Development Cooperation Innovation Support Public-Private Partnerships The Organization Working with WIPO Accountability Patents Trademarks Industrial Designs Geographical Indications Copyright Trade Secrets WIPO Academy Workshops & Seminars World IP Day WIPO Magazine Raising Awareness Case Studies & Success Stories IP News WIPO Awards Business Universities Indigenous Peoples Judiciaries Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Traditional Cultural Expressions Economics Gender Equality Global Health Climate Change Competition Policy Sustainable Development Goals Enforcement Frontier Technologies Mobile Applications Sports Tourism PATENTSCOPE Patent Analytics International Patent Classification ARDI – Research for Innovation ASPI – Specialized Patent Information Global Brand Database Madrid Monitor Article 6ter Express Database Nice Classification Vienna Classification Global Design Database International Designs Bulletin Hague Express Database Locarno Classification Lisbon Express Database Global Brand Database for GIs PLUTO Plant Variety Database GENIE Database WIPO-Administered Treaties WIPO Lex - IP Laws, Treaties & Judgments WIPO Standards IP Statistics WIPO Pearl (Terminology) WIPO Publications Country IP Profiles WIPO Knowledge Center WIPO Technology Trends Global Innovation Index World Intellectual Property Report PCT – The International Patent System ePCT Budapest – The International Microorganism Deposit System Madrid – The International Trademark System eMadrid Article 6ter (armorial bearings, flags, state emblems) Hague – The International Design System eHague Lisbon – The International System of Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications eLisbon UPOV PRISMA Mediation Arbitration Expert Determination Domain Name Disputes Centralized Access to Search and Examination (CASE) Digital Access Service (DAS) WIPO Pay Current Account at WIPO WIPO Assemblies Standing Committees Calendar of Meetings WIPO Official Documents Development Agenda Technical Assistance IP Training Institutions COVID-19 Support National IP Strategies Policy & Legislative Advice Cooperation Hub Technology and Innovation Support Centers (TISC) Technology Transfer Inventor Assistance Program WIPO GREEN WIPO's Pat-INFORMED Accessible Books Consortium WIPO for Creators WIPO ALERT Member States Observers Director General Activities by Unit External Offices Job Vacancies Procurement Results & Budget Financial Reporting Oversight

About the WIPO Handbook

Email updates

WIPO Standards – Latest developments in WIPO Standards, including updates from the Committee on WIPO Standards (CWS).

Sign up

Part 1 of the Handbook on Intellectual Property Information and Documentation

The WIPO Handbook on Intellectual Property Information and Documentation is the authoritative source of WIPO Standards, Recommendations and Guidelines, which have been developed with the help of groups of experts from many countries and are the result of international cooperation in the field of intellectual property information and documentation. The contribution of these experts is gratefully acknowledged.


The WIPO Standards consist of revised or new Standards that have been adopted by the Committee on WIPO Standards (CWS) since 2010 and, previously, by its predecessor WIPO bodies, namely: Standards and Documentation Working Group (SDWG) of the Standing Committee on Information Technologies (SCIT) (1998-2010), Permanent Committee on Industrial Property Information (PCIPI) (1987-1998) and Permanent Committee on Patent Information (PCPI) (1978-1987); as well as the Committee for International Cooperation in Information Retrieval Among Examining Patent Offices (ICIREPAT), which was a forum on patent information for almost 20 years until 1979, when its functions were transferred to the WIPO PCPI.


The WIPO Handbook also contains other reference information on various matters concerning patent, trademark and industrial design documentation. It provides examples and surveys on intellectual property offices’ practices. The WIPO Handbook comprises eight parts and an archive, which contains documents, examples and surveys that have become outdated.