Privacy Policy

1. Data Controller

The controller responsible for data processing on this website is:

2. Data Protection Officer

Our data protection officer can be reached at: ds-beauftragter@streit-online.de

3. Overview of Data Processing

The Patent Classification Explorer is a free tool for browsing and comparing international patent classification systems (IPC and CPC). We process as little personal data as possible. This website does not use cookies for tracking or advertising purposes and does not require a user account.

4. Hosting

This website is hosted by Hetzner Online GmbH, Industriestr. 25, 91710 Gunzenhausen, Germany. Hetzner operates data centers exclusively within the European Union (Germany and Finland).

When you visit this website, your browser automatically transmits certain technical data to our server. This includes: IP address, date and time of access, HTTP status code, data transfer volume, browser type and version, operating system, and the referring URL. Server log files are stored for up to 14 days for security purposes and then automatically deleted.

Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interest in the secure and efficient provision of this website).

5. Analytics

We use Plausible Analytics, a privacy-friendly, cookieless analytics tool made and hosted in the EU. Plausible collects anonymized, aggregated data only: page URL, referrer, browser, operating system, device type, and country. No personal data is collected, no cookies are set, and no individual visitors can be identified. No consent banner is required.

Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interest in understanding website usage in an anonymized manner).

6. AI Classification Suggest

This website offers an optional AI-powered classification suggestion feature. When you use the “AI Classify” function, the technology description you enter is sent to Anthropic (San Francisco, USA) for processing via their API. Anthropic processes the text solely to generate classification suggestions and does not use it for model training. No personal data is required to use this feature — only the technology description text you voluntarily provide is transmitted.

For rate limiting purposes, a hash of your IP address is stored temporarily in server memory and automatically discarded. No IP addresses are persisted or logged in connection with this feature.

Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (b) GDPR (processing necessary to provide the requested service) and Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interest in providing useful functionality). Data transfer to the USA is covered by Anthropic’s adherence to appropriate safeguards under Art. 46 GDPR.

7. Functional Storage

We use localStorage to remember your dark/light mode preference. This is a purely functional setting that does not contain personal data and is not transmitted to any server.

Legal basis: Art. 6 (1) (f) GDPR (legitimate interest in providing a usable website).

8. No Third-Party Tracking or CDNs

This website does not load fonts, scripts, or other resources from external CDNs or third-party services. All assets (including fonts) are self-hosted. No social media plugins, advertising networks, or tracking pixels are used.

9. Data Sources

The patent classification data displayed on this website originates from publicly available sources: WIPO (International Patent Classification) and EPO/USPTO (Cooperative Patent Classification), provided under the CC BY 4.0 license. This data does not contain personal information.

10. Your Rights

Under the GDPR, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right of access (Art. 15 GDPR)
• Right to rectification (Art. 16 GDPR)
• Right to erasure (Art. 17 GDPR)
• Right to restriction of processing (Art. 18 GDPR)
• Right to data portability (Art. 20 GDPR)
• Right to object (Art. 21 GDPR)

To exercise these rights, please contact us at kontakt@mtc.berlin.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority (Art. 77 GDPR). The responsible authority is the Berliner Beauftragte für Datenschutz und Informationsfreiheit.