IP classifications in practice: IPC, Nice, Vienna and Locarno

1. Four systems answer different questions

The Polish Patent Office provides a common classifications page, but the systems do different jobs. IPC, known as MKP in Polish, organises patent documents by technology. Nice classifies goods and services for trademarks. Vienna describes figurative elements of marks, while Locarno groups products associated with designs. Start with the object and purpose of the research, rather than a familiar-looking class title. ^[1]

A hypothetical smart-lamp producer may need all four: technical searching, a brand specification, an image search for its logo and a product indication for its design. These are separate tasks. A business-activity code such as Polish PKD replaces none of them. Classification does not itself establish patentability, absence of conflicting rights or freedom to enter a market.

2. IPC/MKP: move from the technical problem to the group

IPC 2026.01 is the version applicable from 1 January 2026; WIPO introduces a new version each January. The Polish MKP browser shows a selected version’s scheme, notes and references. Describe the solution through technical features, find similar documents and inspect their subclasses and groups. A section heading alone is not enough to choose a symbol. ^{[2] [3]}

Read the full hierarchy and notes. For a sensor-equipped lamp, lighting may not be the only relevant field: control, measurement or communication features can matter too. This is a research example, not a classification of a particular invention. Combine symbols with keywords and synonyms, recording which queries broadened the search or removed irrelevant results.

3. Distinguish IPC from CPC and from the legal inquiry

CPC is an extension of IPC jointly managed by the EPO and USPTO. It can offer finer subdivisions and additional tags; IPC and CPC should therefore not be treated as identical database fields. Record the system, scheme version and search date. Older documents may carry historical classifications or have been reclassified in a database. ^[4]

No results in one group do not prove that earlier solutions are absent. Examine adjacent groups, citations, patent families, other languages and non-patent literature. Novelty research differs from freedom-to-operate analysis, which requires current rights, claims, territory and intended acts. Symbols are a route into the documents, not the conclusion of the legal assessment.

4. Nice: describe the offering before selecting classes

The applicable 2026 version is NCL(13-2026), effective from 1 January 2026. It contains 45 classes: 34 for goods and 11 for services. Draft the specification from the actual and planned offering, then select clear terms. A class heading is broad; entering a number should not be assumed to cover every item in that class. ^{[5] [6]}

TMclass supports term searches, checks against participating-office databases and language equivalents. Select the relevant office and language and preserve the exact term and database. Downloadable programs appear in class 9, while SaaS appears in class 42, so delivery models matter. Do not copy an entire class merely because its heading looks related to the business. ^{[7] [8]}

5. Vienna: search the visual motif

The tenth Vienna edition entered into force on 1 January 2026. The Polish Patent Office publishes a Polish-English version. Categories, divisions and sections describe figurative elements such as animals, plants, geometric forms and special lettering. For a leaf inside a circle, consider both motifs and their stylisation. A single code may not capture every significant element. ^{[9] [10]}

A motif search supplements word-based research. Two logos may share a Vienna code and create different impressions, or have different codes despite relevant similarity. Inspect the actual signs and consider goods, services and territories. An image code does not create an additional legal monopoly over that motif.

6. Locarno and DesignClass: identify the product

On 18 October 2026, the current Locarno edition is the fifteenth, effective since 1 January 2025. Announcements or advance publication of the next edition do not make it applicable immediately. DesignClass helps select and compare product indications in participating offices’ databases. Identify a lamp, packaging or interface accurately rather than copying its marketing name. ^{[11] [12]}

EUIPO explains that product indications and classification serve administrative and searching purposes; the indication itself does not determine a design’s protection scope. Applicable law and the representation govern that assessment. Sharing a Locarno class does not decide novelty or individual character. Classification does not replace disclosure research and comparison of overall impressions on the informed user. ^[12]

7. Version, language and date form part of the result

Keep the classification version used for filing and the date of research. Advance publications of IPC 2027.01 and NCL(13-2027) are already accessible during 2026; prominence in search results does not make them the current versions. Earlier versions can help reconstruct historical specifications and identify changes. ^{[2] [5]}

A working translation should neither expand nor narrow a term. Record its identifier, original language and exact wording, then verify the counterpart for the relevant procedure. This guide’s Polish, English, Ukrainian and Russian versions explain the same systems; they do not change an office’s procedural language requirements.

8. Keep a simple research record

Record the purpose, object, system and version, symbols, full terms, office, language, date, links and query results. Include why close alternatives were rejected and any database limitations. This allows another person to repeat or update the work and understand the choices rather than relying on an unexplained list.

Finally connect the record to the business decision. Does the specification match sales? Does the technical search cover the solution’s features? Were the logo images inspected? Is the design product named precisely? Return to the applicable legal test afterwards. This workflow is not official approval of a filing or a guarantee of protection.

Sources and further reading

1. 1
   Polish Patent Office — classifications ↗

   UPRP: strona zbiorcza klasyfikacji IP

   Official entry point for the four systems and tools.

2. 2
   WIPO — International Patent Classification ↗

   IPC 2026.01; aktualizacja coroczna 1 stycznia

   Current version and advance publications are distinguished.

3. 3
   Polish Patent Office — MKP 2026.01 browser ↗

   MKP: schemat 20260101

   Polish browser pinned to a specific version.

4. 4
   EPO — Cooperative Patent Classification ↗

   EPO/USPTO: CPC

   CPC as an extension of IPC.

5. 5
   WIPO — Nice Classification ↗

   NCL(13-2026), obowiązuje od 1.01.2026

   Current and announced classification versions.

6. 6
   WIPO — Nice Classification FAQ ↗

   WIPO: NCL FAQ, struktura 34+11 klas

   Class headings, notes and alphabetical lists.

7. 7
   TMclass — search and help ↗

   EUIPN/EUIPO: TMclass

   Check terms against the relevant office and language; help:https://euipo.europa.eu/ec2/static/html/help-en.html

8. 8
   WIPO — NCL 13-2026 class headings and notes ↗

   NCL(13-2026), klasy 9 i 42

   Downloadable software and SaaS provide different classification examples.

9. 9
   Polish Patent Office — Vienna tenth edition ↗

   Vienna Classification,10 th edition; PL/EN

   Official Polish-English list of figurative elements.

10. 10
    WIPO — effective date of Vienna tenth edition ↗

    Komunikat 10.06.2025; wejście w życie 1.01.2026

    Announcement confirms the 1 January 2026 effective date.

11. 11
    WIPO — Locarno Classification ↗

    LOC 15, obowiązuje od 1.01.2025

    Current fifteenth edition and advance publication of the sixteenth.

12. 12
    EUIPO — design product indications ↗

    EUIPO: Product indication; DesignClass

    Administrative function and scope distinction; tool:https://euipo.europa.eu/designclass/