4.2.1.2 Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC)

Also in this Chapter:

• 4.2.1.1 International Patent Classification (IPC)

Sub-chapters:

• ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​4.2.1.2.1 Structure of the CPC and 2000 Series
• ​​​​​​​4.2.1.2.2 Headings and Titles
• ​​​​​4.2.1.2.3 Definitions, Notes and Warnings
• 4.2.1.2.4 Function-Oriented and Application-Oriented Places
• 4.2.1.2.5 References

• 4.2.1.2.6 Combination Set (C-set)

• 4.2.1.2.7 CPC Revisions

The CPC system was jointly developed by the EPO and USPTO in 2013 and largely based on the European Classification (ECLA) system formerly used by the EPO. The aim and intent of the CPC is to improve harmonisation between the major patent offices and produce consistent search results.

A large majority of patent documents, including collections of major jurisdictions such as EP, US, WO, GB, DE and FR have CPC symbols. Partial coverage is also available for other collections, including CN, KR, AU and CA.

The CPC is compliant with the IPC, which is the only patent classification system used by all patent offices. This compliance will ensure that the CPC is understood by a wide international audience. The development of the CPC is another step to harmonisation of the world IP systems.

The CPC scheme can be found in the official CPC website or Espacenet.

Information about classifying in the CPC is available in the CPC guide.