SIPO's seven proposals on revising IPC were examined and six of which were approved at the 37th session of revision working group of International Patent Classification (IPC) under WIPO. The proposals would take into effect in 2018 edition of international patent classification table.

During the 12th Five-Year Plan, three proposals of SIPO on revising patent classification have been examined and approved by WIPO. Now the number of proposal approved by WIPO was doubled to six in the early 13th Five-Year Plan, reflecting that SIPO is stepping up its classification business and expanding international influential and having a greater say in global IP community. "SIPO will make efforts to facilitate IPC works by optimizing the management mechanism and inventing new methods to work, so that we can do favor in the implementation of IP strategy and building China into an IP power house," said the principal of patent documentation department of the Patent Office under SIPO.

China has become the member of IPC Union since it joined the International Patent Classification Agreement on June 19, 1997. Since then, China has been actively participating in the revision of patent classification. In 2004, the IPC revision project relating to bio-pesticides provided by SIPO was approved in 2006. During the 12th Five-Year Plan, SIPO increased its efforts in IPC and worked hard to transform its role as rule receiver to rule maker. In five years, some IPC revision projects of SIPO had been approved and examined by WIPO. The IPC revision project relating to the electrical field C462 and food processing field C464 were the important ones among such projects. At present, the two revision projects have been approved in 2014 and 2015 respectively and taken into effect in 2015 and 2016 international patent classification table, the principal adds.

"The six IPC revision proposals will take effect in 2018. The revised IPC table will help to classify the relevant patent documentation and improve the efficiency of examiners and public to search patent documentation, which lay a solid foundation for further improving China's patent examination quality, said the principal of patent documentation department.

Source: China IP News