Delivering International Patent Classification Management to WIPO as Online Managed Service

Challenge

In 2014, WIPO launched a public tender for the development of a new system to support the revision process of the International Patent Classification (IPC).

The scope of requested services included designing, building, and operating under SLA a completely new solution, leveraging modern tech stack and SaaS best practices.
The entire software development lifecycle comprised:

• Requirements analysis and business specification
• Technical documentation and system architecture
• Software development and QA
• Infrastructure setup and deployment to operation
• Ongoing multi-level technical support

SaM Solutions won the tender, taking on full responsibility for the design, delivery, long-term maintenance and operation of the IPC online revision management system.

Solution

Within less than a year, SaM Solutions’ team delivered a secure, web-based SaaS platform that allows authorized users to propose, manage, and make decisions on changes to patent classification structures, and to publish final classifications to WIPO portal.

Project highlights

• Analysis of WIPO’s existing datasets and documentation of use cases that were previously handled manually or through Excel.
• Design and implementation of a user-friendly interface and back-office system.
• Integration of online collaboration tools for stakeholders from different countries to suggest and review classification updates.
• Seamless publishing of approved changes to WIPO’s public portals
• High availability and 24/7 system monitoring and maintenance.

The team worked closely with WIPO to ensure that the system conformed to internal security and compliance requirements, with the flexibility to adapt to future classification types and requirements.

Nice and Locarno

Following the successful delivery of the IPC solution, SaM Solutions won a subsequent tender for the development of two additional systems:

• The Nice Classification, an international system used to categorize goods and services for trademark registration.
• The Locarno Classification, an international system for classifying industrial designs.

For both projects, SaM Solutions developed a custom online voting mechanism that enables international IP offices to review, approve, or reject proposed classification changes in a secure and collaborative environment.

Success

For over a decade, WIPO relies on a robust, enterprise-grade solution that simplifies and accelerates the internal and collaborative processes required for managing international IP classification systems. The solution is provided as Managed Service under SLA that:

• Replaced paper-based processes with a centralized and automated system
• Enhanced collaboration and transparency across multiple international IP offices
• Supported faster and more accurate updates to patent classifications
• Provided a highly available infrastructure with professional support