Trademark is an essential part of any business or brand. It protects the intellectual property from infringements and increases the overall goodwill of the business. There are different classes under which a trademark can be registered. Some trademarks can be registered under multiple classes while some can only be registered under a single class.
It can be tricky when deciding which class your product falls under. The material used to make your product might come under a specific class but it is possible that the finished good falls under a different class. This is why it is important to understand the classes to make sure the application you file is accurate and is not rejected.
Most popular trademark classes sometimes are also the most common ones.
Common Trademark Classes
Chemicals
This class lists all the chemicals that are used in industries; agriculture, horticulture and forestry, unprocessed plastics, adhesives, food preserving chemicals, extinguishing compositions, manures, tempering and soldering preparations.
Clothing
Class 25 – Perhaps one of the most common trademark classes there is. The primary product under this class is clothing but it also includes different footwear and headgear. Every kind of clothing and footwear that you intend to sell will fall under this class, but the headgear needs to be non-protective otherwise that will fall under a different class.
Non – Alcoholic Beverages and Beer
Class 32 – Apart from beer, this class includes different types of fruit drinks. Syrups that are used to make other beverages also fall under this class.
Business and Advertising
Class 35 – This class is associated with services rather than products. These services are associated with managing business and include advertising, clerical services, public relations, and human resource management.
Scientific and Computer
Class 42 – Most of the scientific and technical services fall under this class. The services that are common include clinical trials, biological research, graphic designing, and weather forecasting. There are alot of common trademark classes and this class is one of them yet people are not that aware of this class, mostly because of the technical information.
Common Trademark Classes in the Entertainment Industry
Education and Entertainment
Class 41 – Even though this class seems to have a specific scope, it covers a wide range of services that include education (teaching and training), art and exhibition, sport shows etc.
Wine and Liquor
Class 33 – Non beer based alcoholic beverages including liquor, hard seltzers, hard ciders, and wine fall under this this class.
Common Trademark Classes Most People Are Aware Of
Foods
Classes 29, 30, 31 – Even though these classes collectively come under the term ‘Foods’, they differ from each other. Processed foods like jellies and jams, meats, edible fats, oils as well as certain dairy products fall under class 29. To identify staple foods like sugar, spices, coffee, and flour, class 30 is used. Fresh produce, live animals, and grains fall under class 31.
Electrical and Scientific Apparatus
Class 9 – This class represents different varieties of electrical and technological goods. This includes smartphones, software, computers, and mobile apps. Some fire extinguishers and equipment that are used for astronomy also fall under this class.
Medical Instruments
Class 10 – This class includes everything surgical, dental, medical, veterinary apparatus and instruments. Artificial eyes, limbs, and teeth also fall under this class.
Firearms
Class 13 – This class not only includes firearms like guns and projectiles but also explosives and fireworks.
Leather Products
Class 18 – This type of class is popular and one of the most common trademark classes people use. Even though most people confuse leather and clothing together, they are actually separate classes. This confusion sometimes results in filing of inaccurate trademark application which gets rejected later on. The items that fall under this class include leather as well as imitation of leather. It also includes animal skins and hides, traveling bags, trunks, walking sticks, whips, harness, saddlery, and umbrellas.
Financial and Insurance Services
Class 36 – Most of the people are not aware of the types of financial services that can be trademarked thus; they are not aware of the class the application should filed under. This class includes services like insurance, financial affairs, and real estate affairs.
Jewelry Products
Class 14 – Companies and individuals alike are now more aware of precious metals and jewelries. This class includes not just precious metals but also goods made with precious metals or coated with it. Chronometric and horological instruments.
These are the most common types of classes used for trademark registration. Businesses and individuals most of the time are not aware of the relevant classes their products fall under and because of that the application is inaccurately filed and thus faces rejection. To avoid this, you should be aware of the relevant classes.
