Plans to Accelerate Revision and Publication Procedure of the IPC

IPC Workshop February 2013 Geneva

Ning XU IPC Section - WIPO

Outline
Current IPC Revision Procedure Current IPC Publication Procedure Impact of the Five-Year Plan Proposed Future IPC Revision Procedure

Proposed Future IPC Publication Procedure

Current IPC Revision Procedure

The responsibility of the IPC revision was given to one unique body (IPC Revision WG) The WG meets twice yearly May / June November / December

Current IPC Revision Procedure (cont.)

Revision requests from IP5 CHC (F projects) or Trilateral projects (A projects) - automatically included in the IPC revision program with priority. Revision requests from other Offices included with conditions (C projects): Numerical criteria size & growth rate Commitment to reclassification (PCT Min.) Approval by the CE

Current Situation
Very few revision requests have been submitted directly to the CE: Only those without need for reclassification accepted Whereas those creating new subdivisions rejected Currently, no more C revision projects

Current Situation
The total number of new subdivisions during 2007 to 2013 decreased Cost of Reclassification Reduced expense in Classification by Offices

Distribution of Revision Projects

700 600

New groups

500 400 300 200 100 0 C project A project F project 2010 26 257 0 2011 67 442 0 2012 0 376 133 2013 0 456 192 2014 0 471 146 2015 0 5 159 C project A project F project

IPC version

Current IPC Publication Procedure

IPC yearly publication (January 1) Scheme

Compilation of amendments
Revision Concordance List (RCL) Catchword Index (CI) IPC Definitions

Current IPC Publication Procedure (cont.)

Early publication (July 1) Scheme Compilation of amendments Revision Concordance List (RCL) Validity File

Possibility to publish twice a year

Never requested Users satisfaction - annual publication

Current IPC Publication Procedure (cont.)

Final Adoption by the CE (February) One more year between the completion of the work by the WG and the publication

WG/May 2013

WG/Nov. 2013

CE /Feb. 2014

EarlyPub Jul.1,2014

Pub./Jan 2015

Impact of the Five-Year Plan

Increased number of revision projects Increased workload of the WG

Need to shorten the revision period

Needs to involve more Offices in the substantial revision work

Proposed Future IPC Revision Procedure

The IPC revision procedure will remain unchanged at initial stage

The CE will decide next year whether changes are needed to, e.g.:
increase the number of working days of the WG create special Task Forces

Proposed Future IPC Revision Procedure (cont.)

The responsibility of the IPC revision is given to the WG Revision projects with priority Areas to be revised prioritized to be adopted by the CE Revision requests in these areas directly to the IPC/WG treated with priority Revision requests in other areas to the IPC/CE with evidence

Definitions within the revision projects to be created with conditions

Proposed Future IPC Revision Procedure (cont.)

The formal adoption of the amendments by the IPC/CE Electronically Immediately after the IPC/WG to be scheduled in early May

Proposed Future IPC Publication Procedure

Current procedure:
WG/May 2013 WG/Nov. 2013 CE /Feb. 2014 EarlyPub Jul.1,2014 Pub./Jan 2015

Proposed future procedure:

reduced by 6 months
WG/Nov. 2013 WG/May 2014
CE adopt. May 2014

EarlyPub Jul.1,2014

Pub./Jan 2015

Thank you !
IPC Workshop February 2013 Geneva