The Strasbourg Agreement establishes the International Patent Classification (IPC) which divides technology into eight sections with approximately 80,000 subdivisions. Classification is indispensable for the retrieval of patent documents in the search for "prior art". Such retrieval is needed by patent-issuing authorities, potential inventors, research and development units and others concerned with the application or development of technology.
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Strasbourg Agreement milestones
- Adopted: Strasbourg - March 24, 1971
- Amended: September 28, 1979