Locarno Classification (designs)

The Locarno Classification is the international classification system for industrial designs that is administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) has compiled a list of products, known as the 'Eurolocarno' list, which is based on the Locarno Classification, for classifying goods indicated both in registered Community designs (RCDs) and in RCD applications.

When indicating the goods in a design application, applicants are strongly advised to use the terms from the Locarno Classification or EuroLocarno in order to avoid delays in the registration procedure caused otherwise by the need to translate the terms submitted. Use of these generic terms will also improve the search capabilities of the RCD databases and thus ultimately result in greater transparency.

The Locarno Classification can be searched using the EuroLocarno search tool, which is available in all official European Union (EU) languages.

• Search criteria
  Either enter a term in the search field or choose a class (and then a subclass if required) from the drop-down menu(s). Entries in the text field can be combined with a choice of class (and subclass) to refine the search further.
  
  Enter the term you want to search for in the search field and click on the 'Search' button. The search field has an auto-complete function when a key word is typed.
  
  To refine your search, choose the class you want to search in via the drop-down menus above the search field. The subclass menu options can only be edited once you have chosen a class.
  
  The search language can be changed via the drop-down menu above the search button.
  
  N.B.: The search system will only look for terms in the selected language.
   
• Search text options
  The search text entry field uses the following conventions:
  • Text' is defined as any alphanumeric character. Any character can be typed in the text field. However, the asterisk (*), question mark (?) and double quotation marks (" ") are special wild-card characters with specific functions. To find out more, see the section on wild-card characters.
  • The text field is case-insensitive, i.e. typing 'coke' or 'Coke' will return the same results.
  • The search system is insensitive to special characters, i.e. typing 'Müller' returns the same results as typing 'Muller'.
  • The wild-card characters (*) and (?) may be inserted anywhere in a search string and can be used where one or more characters are unknown.
     
• Wild-card characters
  • A 'wild-card' character can be used to substitute another character or string of characters.
  • Question mark (?)
    This substitutes a single unknown character.
    For example, if you type 'compl?ment', the search results returned will include both 'complement' and 'compliment'.
    More than one question mark can be entered in a search string.
    N.B.: A question mark does not replace a space character (unlike the asterisk).
  • Asterisk (*)
    This substitutes one or more unknown characters (including spaces).
    For example, if you type 'compl*ment', the search results returned will include both 'compliment' and 'Complete Management'.
    The asterisk can be used in conjunction with a question mark in a search string.
    For example, typing '*1?3' will return '123' and 'Farmacia +123'.
  • Set of double quotation marks (" ")
    Enclosing a word or phrase in double quotation marks restricts the search to only the characters enclosed within the quotation marks.
    For example, typing '"Hello"' will return 'Hello'.
     
• Search results
  The results of a search are displayed in a table comprising three columns, headed 'Class', 'Indication of product' and 'Translation'.
  
  The class and subclass codes are displayed under the 'Class' column.
  
  The 'Indication of product' column can be viewed in the other EU languages by clicking on the arrow icon in the 'Translation' column.