On 28 August 2020 (by way of Resolution No. 780), Saudi Arabia approved its accession to the Strasbourg Agreement Concerning the International Patent Classification (1971).

This move follows a public consultation period operated by the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property (SAIP) which closed in January 2019.

The Strasbourg Agreement establishes the International Patent Classification (IPC) which classifies technology into eight sections with approximately 70,000 subsections, each with their own unique symbol. Appropriate symbols are indicated on published and granted patents by the members of parties to the Strasbourg Agreement, although these are also used by a number of patent offices that are not party to the Strasbourg Agreement.

The accession to another international agreement of this nature by Saudi Arabia is a welcome development, in line with Saudi Arabia’s national strategy for the promotion of intellectual property.

By Adam Cusworth
1 September 2020