In the news

Updated IPC now online

A new, updated edition of an international system designed to facilitate search and retrieval of patent information in all fields of technology is now available online on the WIPO website.

The International Patent Classification (IPC) is a classification system covering all fields of technology and is indispensable for the efficient retrieval of patent information. The IPC is periodically revised to take account of technological developments and to ensure a more user-friendly patent classification and search tool for specialists and non-specialists alike. The new (eighth) edition is the product of a 6-year process of reform to adapt the IPC to the electronic environment and to facilitate its use. It will enter into force on January 1, 2006, from which date all published patent documents will be classified according to that edition

"The new edition of the IPC will significantly increase the efficiency of the search and retrieval of patent information," said Mr. Francis Gurry, WIPO Deputy Director General. "The IPC reform process has been extremely fruitful. Industrial property offices and the general public worldwide now have a universal search tool for patent information at their fingertips."

Improvements include the division of the IPC into two levels (core and advanced) to meet the differing needs of users. Over 1,400 new entries have been added. Five new subclasses have been created relating to new technologies, as has one new main group for traditional medicine based on the use of plants.

The printed version of the core level of the IPC is available from the WIPO electronic bookshop.

Designs to improve life

INDEX, which opens its doors in Copenhagen, Denmark, in September, is a new international design event with a difference. Under the banner, Design to Improve Life, INDEX showcases designs with the potential to make a significant, positive difference to the lives of large numbers of people.

An international jury will announce the top five INDEX Award winners on September 23 from a shortlist of 118 nominations. Competition will be heated as individual designers and design studios vie with big corporate names. A glance at the following nominations gives an idea of the diversity on display:

The LifePort Kidney Transporter, designed by a British/U.S. team...