Global Patent Information

The World Intellectual Property Office is the largest international patent organization.

No true universal patent system exists, but a large number of nations are members of the World Intellectual Property Organization. WIPO administers standards and processes for international patent registration and identification.

History

Created by the \Convention Establishing the World Intellectual Property Organization, WIPO was founded in 1970. Later, WIPO became a specialized agency of the United Nations.

Members

As of 2010, WIPO administered patent issues for 184 member nations. Nations from Afghanistan to Zambia follow the patent protocols established by international agreements and conventions.

Classification

The Patent Cooperation Treaty of 1970 established standards for internationally recognized patents. Many WIPO member states use the International Patent Classification system to organize and identify patent documents. The IPC is used by more than 100 countries and consists of a hierarchical structure of invention classification. In descending order, the classification scheme consists of sections, classes, subclasses, main groups and subgroups.

References

• World Intellectual Property Organization: WIPO Treaties
• World Intellectual Property Organization: Member States
• World Intellectual Property Organization: IPC Guide

Resources

• World Intellectual Property Organization: What is WIPO?