The EPO and the USPTO have launched the Cooperative Patent Classification scheme, a global classification system for patent documents.
The European Patent Office and the United States Patent and Trademark Office have launched the Cooperative Patent Classification scheme, a global classification system for patent documents. The system, which incorporates the best classification practices of both offices, has been developed as a common, internationally compatible classification system for technical documents, in particular patent publications, which will be used by both offices in the patent granting process.