The main purpose of the authority file of published patent documents is to allow all interested parties to assess the completeness of the available patent documentation from the intellectual property office (IPO) that generated the authority file.
On this page, you can find the most recent authority files compliant with WIPO Standard ST.37 
which have been provided by the IPOs to the International Bureau of WIPO or links to the webpages where such authority files are hosted. The recommendations on data elements, structure and format of authority files are provided in WIPO ST.37.
The icons included within the table indicate the file type of the authority file and will initiate a download. The exception is 'HTML' which indicates that the Office is hosting the file locally and you will leave the WIPO website to go to the linked HTML page.
The authority file guidelines aim to ensure that authority files provided to the International Bureau are both compliant with WIPO Standard ST.37 and consistent across Offices.
This page was last updated on March 21, 2024.
| IP Office | Authority file | Definition file | Coverage | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AT |  |
1990-01-01 to 2024-02-28 | Updated monthly; published here biannually. | |
| AU |  |
|
1905-12-04 onwards | Updated monthly |
| BG |  |
|
1973-11-10 to 2024-01-15 | |
| BR | |
|
2012-01-01 to 2024-03-04 | |
| CA | |
|
Until 2023-12-31 | Comprehensive; CIPO intends to produce an authority file for published patent documents once each year. |
| CN | |
|
1985-09-10 onwards | Every six months |
| CZ | |
|
1903-01-01 onwards |
Updated annually |
| DE | |
|
Date range up until 2024-02-21; for DE patents and utility models the start of the date range is 1978-01-01. For other types, all data available. |
Comprehensive; Updated at a yearly interval |
| EA | |
|
1996-07-01 onwards |
Authority file is updated on a daily basis |
| EE | |
1994-05-23 to 2024-02-29 |
Updated annually |
|
| EP | |
|
1978-12-20 onwards |
The EPO authority file contains document from 1978-12-20 and EP 0000001 without gaps onwards. The file is updated every six months and available in three formats: XML, CSV and JSON. Weekly XML files containing the list of European patent documents published at the corresponding date are also available on publication day on the European Publication Server. |
| ES | |
1826 onwards |
Inventory of all publication numbers of patents and utility models issued by OEPM from 1826 to the current date. It is a unique download file that includes annual data files. The data is updated monthly. |
|
| FI | |
|
1833-03-06 to 2023-31-12 | Updated annually |
| FR | |
|
1990-01-01 to 2024-02-24 | Updated annually |
| GB | (ZIP) |
1782-01-01 to 2023-12-31 |
There is a file pair provided for every decade for both A and B publications. The most recent decade pair is updated annually. |
|
| HR | |
None provided | 1994-04-30 to 2022-12-31 | Updated annually (XML) |
| IL | (ZIP) |
2021-01-01 to 2023-12-31 | ||
| IT | |
|
1991-01-18 to 2023-02-05 | Every six months |
| JP | |
|
1993-01 to 2024-01 | Every six months in February and August |
| KR | |
|
Comprehensive; Updated early June and early December |
|
| LT | |
1992-10-15 to 2024-02-29 | Updated annually | |
| MC | |
|
1973-07-01 to 2024-01-31 | Updated twice a year on the 1 February and the 1 September |
| MD | |
|
1994-01-31 onwards | Updated annually |
| PL | (ZIP) |
1982-01-01 to 2023-12-27 | Provided once a year for a given year in January of the following year | |
| RS | |
None provided | 2006-09-26 to 2021-12-31 |
Annual update in January; comprehensive |
| RU | |
P: 1924-09-24 onwards UM: 1994-06-25 onwards D: 1967 onwards |
1. New publications – each quarter: February 1, April 1, July 1, October 1; 2. Filling gaps - annually |
|
| SA | |
None provided | 1995-12-23 to 2021-12-31 | Every 4 Months |
| SE | |
|
1885-06-05 to 2023-12-31 | Comprehensive coverage and incremental update twice yearly, comprising the documents published during the last six months. Version 2.2 DTD. |
| SK | (ZIP) |
|
1993-07-07 to 2022-12-31 | |
| UA | |
|
1993-01-01 to 2020-12-31 | Annual update on February 1; Comprehensive (from 1993-01-01 till end of previous year) |
| US | |
|
Pre-Grant authority file: 2001-03-15 onwards Patent-Grant authority file: comprehensive 1790-07-31 onwards, except pre-grant publications. |
Comprehensive Authority Files are normally updated on a monthly basis and available from the USPTO website. The Pre-Grant and Patent Grant Authority Files contain listings of all US published non-provisional utility and plant applications ("Pre-Grant") and other published or granted patent documents ("Patent Grant") found in USPTO Patent Image databases and list the following fields, where applicable:-Country Code-Document Number-Kind Code-An indication of missing and withdrawn. Note the US patent grant numbering was reset in 1836. Patents between 1790 and 1836 include an “X”. Additional details are available at the USPTO website. |
| WO | (ZIP) |
|
1978 onwards |
This authority file is updated on the fourth working day of each week. |
| YU | |
None provided |
1920-01-01 to 2006-08-17 |
Comprehensive. This authority file data incudes patent publication from both of the former Offices Yugoslavia and Serbia and Montenegro. This authority file was provided by the Republic of Serbia. |