Part 3 of the Handbook on Intellectual Property Information and Documentation
This part of the WIPO Handbook contains the full text of WIPO Standards, Recommendations and Guidelines established with the intention of harmonizing intellectual property information practices of WIPO member states, thereby promoting international exchange of intellectual property documents and related data.
WIPO Standards are expressed in the form of recommendations and are directed to States and international organizations, in particular to their national or regional intellectual property offices, to the International Bureau of WIPO, and to any other national or international institution interested in intellectual property documentation and information.
In the framework of the international cooperation promoted by WIPO in the field of intellectual property information and documentation, standardization efforts have resulted in over 50 WIPO Standards, Recommendations and Guidelines related to patents, trademarks, industrial designs, geographical indications, and copyright orphan works.
WIPO Standards facilitate the harmonization of practices by intellectual property offices regarding electronic data processing in respect of the procedures for filing, examination, publication, granting and registration of industrial property titles. WIPO Standards also facilitate the international transmission, exchange, sharing and dissemination of intellectual property information (text and images), as well as access to and retrieval of this information.
WIPO Standards are closely connected to one another and published as part of the WIPO Handbook is a list of which WIPO Standards reference in other WIPO Standards. Several of the Standards are no longer in force and have now been archived for reference. The difference between versions of the same Standard have been identified with tracked changes, and are available also in the WIPO Handbook.
Any new Standard or revised version of already existing Standards will be added to those published here subsequent to the adoption thereof by the Committee on WIPO Standards (CWS).