On
September 1, 1973, the International classification of goods and
services established by the World Intellectual Property Organization
(in abbreviated form below) became the primary classification system
used in the
United States
. When filing an application for registration, an applicant must pay
the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office a filing fee of $325 for each
class of goods and services that their mark is used in (the majority of
applications fall within one class).
The following listing has been adapted from Chapter 1400 from the Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure published
by the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.
U.S.P.T.O. Explanatory Notes have been omitted, however, our comments
have been added throughout in parentheses. There are currently 34 goods
classes and 11 services classes.
While
it is generally easy to determine which class your product or service
falls into, it can sometimes get tricky. For example, while "salad oil"
is classified under Class 29 (Meats and processed foods); "salad
dressing", on the other hand, is classified under Class 30 (Staple
foods) since it is considered a condiment.
The following list is not exhaustive and it is recommended that the Acceptable Identification of Goods and Services Manual (also
published by the U.S. Department of Commerce) or a qualified trademark
attorney be consulted for more information on this subject. The
information presented here is reprinted for educational and
illustrative purposes only.
Goods Classes
Class 1 (Chemicals)
Chemicals
used in industry, science and photography, as well as in agriculture,
horticulture and forestry; unprocessed artificial resins, unprocessed
plastics; manures; fire extinguishing compositions; tempering and
soldering preparations; chemical substances for preserving foodstuff;
tanning substances; and adhesives used in industry.
Class 2 (Paints)
Paints,
varnishes, lacquers preservatives against rust and against
deterioration of wood; colorants, mordants; raw natural resins; metals
in foil and powder form for painters, decorators, printers and artists.
Class 3 (Cosmetics and cleaning preparations)
Bleaching
preparations and other substances for laundry use; cleaning, polishing,
scouring and abrasive preparations; soaps; perfumery, essential oils,
cosmetics, hair lotions; dentifrices.
Class 4 (Lubricants and fuels)
Industrial
oils and greases; lubricants; dust absorbing; wetting and binding
compositions; fuels (including motor spirit) and illuminants; candles,
wicks.
Class 5 (Pharmaceuticals)
Pharmaceutical,
veterinary and sanitary preparations; dietetic substances adapted for
medical use, food for babies; plasters, materials for dressings;
material for stopping teeth, dental wax; disinfectants; preparations
for destroying vermin; fungicides, herbicides.
Class 6 (Metal Goods)
Common
metals and their alloys; metal building materials; transportable
buildings of metal; materials of metal for railway tracks; nonelectric
cables and wires of common metal; ironmongery, small items of metal
hardware; pipes and tubes of metal; safes; goods of common metal not
included in other classes; ores.
Class 7 (Machinery)
Machine
and machine tools; motors and engines (except for land vehicles);
machine coupling and transmission components (except for land
vehicles); agricultural implements other than hand-operated; incubators
for eggs.
Class 8 (Hand Tools)
Hand tools and implements (hand operated); cutlery; side arms; razors.
Class 9 (Electrical and scientific apparatus)
Scientific,
nautical, surveying, electric, photographic, cinematographic, optical,
weighing, measuring, signaling, checking (supervision), lifesaving and
teaching apparatus and instruments;apparatus for recording,
transmission or reproduction of sound or images; magnetic data
carriers, recording discs; automatic vending machines and mechanisms
for coin operated apparatus; cash registers, calculating machines; data
processing equipment and computers; fire-extinguishing apparatus.
(Also, for CD-ROM's, computer hardware, software and related
accessories.)
Class 10 (Medical apparatus)
Surgical,
medical, dental and veterinary apparatus and instruments, artificial
limbs, eyes and teeth, orthopedic articles; suture materials.
Class 11 (Environmental control apparatus)
Apparatus
for lighting, heating, steam generating, cooking, refrigerating,
drying, ventilating, water supply and sanitary purposes.
Class 12 (Vehicles)
Vehicles; apparatus for locomotion by land, air or water.
Class 13 (Firearms)
Firearms; ammunition and projectiles; explosives; fireworks.
Class 14 (Jewelry)
Precious
metals and their alloys and goods in precious metals or coated
therewith, not included in other classes; jewelry, precious stones;
horological and chronometric instruments.
Class 15 (Musical Instruments)
Musical Instruments.
Class 16 (Paper goods and printed matter)
Paper,
cardboard and goods made from these materials, not included in other
classes; printed matter; bookbinding material; photographs; stationary,
adhesives for stationary or household purposes; artists' materials;
paint brushes; typewriters and office requisites (except furniture);
instructional and teaching material (except apparatus); plastic
materials for packing (not included in other classes); playing cards;
printers' type; printing books. (This class covers only hard-copy
publications. Electronic publications in the form of a CD-ROM, disc,
etc. are classified in class 9. Publications downloadable from the
Internet or other online service is classified in class 42.)
Class 17 (Rubber goods)
Rubber,
gutta-percha, gum, asbestos, mica and goods made from these materials
and not included in other classes; plastics in extruded form for use in
manufacture; packing stopping and insulating materials; flexible pipes,
not of metal.
Class 18 (Leather goods)
Leather
and imitations of leather; and goods made of these materials and not
included in other classes; animal skins, hides; trunks and traveling
bags; umbrella, parasols and walking sticks; whips, harness and
saddlery.
Class 19 (Nonmetallic building materials)
Building
materials (nonmetallic); nonmetallic rigid pipes for building; asphalt,
pitch and bitumen; nonmetallic transportable buildings, monuments, not
of metal.
Class 20 (Furniture and articles not otherwise classified)
Furniture,
mirrors, picture frames; goods (not included in other classes) of wood,
cork, reed, cane wicker, horn, bone, ivory, whalebone, shell, amber,
mother-of-pearl, meerschaum and substitutes for all these materials, or
of plastics.
Class 21 (Housewares and glass)
Household
or kitchen utensils and containers (not of precious metal or coated
therewith); combs and sponges; brushes (except paint brushes);
brush-making materials; articles for cleaning purposes; steel wool;
unworked or semi-worked glass (except glass used in building);
glassware, porcelain and earthenware not included in other classes.
Class 22 (Cordage and fibers)
Ropes,
string, nets, tents, awnings, tarpaulins, sails, sacks and bags (not
included in other classes); padding and stuffing materials (except of
rubber or plastic); raw fibrous textile materials.
Class 23 (Yarns and threads)
Yarns and thread, for textile use.
Class 24 (Fabrics)
Textiles and textile goods, not included in other classes; bed and table covers.
Class 25 (Clothing)
Clothing, footwear, headgear.
Class 26 (Fancy goods)
Lace and embroidery, ribbons and braid; buttons, hooks and eyes, pins and needles; artificial flowers.
Class 27 (Floor Coverings)
Carpets, rugs, mats and matting, linoleum and other materials for covering existing floors; wall hanging (nontextile).
Class 28 (Toys and sporting goods)
Games and playthings; gymnastic and sporting articles not included in other classes; decorations for Christmas trees.
Class 29 (Meats and processed foods)
Meat,
fish, poultry and game; meat extracts; preserved, dried and cooked
fruits and vegetables; jellies, jams, fruit sauces; eggs, milk and milk
products; edible oils and fats.
Class 30 (Staple foods)
Coffee,
tea, cocoa, sugar, rice, tapioca, sago, artificial coffee; flour and
preparations made from cereals, bread, pastry, and confectionery, ices;
honey, treacle, yeast, backing-powder; salt, mustard; vinegar, sauces
(condiments); spices; ice.
Class 31 (Natural agricultural products)
Agricultural,
horticultural and forestry products and grains not included in other
classes; living animals; fresh fruits and vegetable; seeds, natural
plants and flowers; foodstuffs for animals, malt.
Class 32 (Light beverages)
Beers;
mineral and aerated waters and other nonalcoholic drinks; fruit drinks
and fruit juices; syrups and other preparations for making beverages.
Class 33 (Wine and spirits)
Alcoholic beverages (except beers).
Class 34 (Smokers' articles)
Tobacco; smokers' articles; matches.
Services Classes
Class 35 (Advertising and business)
Advertising;
business management; business administration; office functions. (In
1997 retail services were moved from Class 42 to Class 35).
Class 36 (Insurance and financial)
Insurance; financial affairs; monetary affairs; real estate affairs.
Class 37 (Building construction and repair)
Building construction; repair; installation services.
Class 38 (Telecommunications)
(Communications
services through telephony. This class is for telecommunications
"connections" services provided by entities such as AT&T, etc.)
Class 39 (Transportation and storage)
Transport;
packaging and storage of goods; travel arrangement. (This class
included mainly services rendered in transporting people or goods from
one place to another (by rail, water, air or pipeline) and services
connected therewith.)
Class 40 (Treatment of materials)
(Mechanical or chemical processing or transformation of objects or inorganic or organic substances.)
Class 41 (Education and entertainment)
Education; providing of training; entertainment; sporting and cultural activities.
Class 42 (The Original Miscellaneous Class)
Includes
mainly services provided by persons, individually or collectively, in
relation to the theoretical and practical aspects of complex fields of
activities; such services are provided by members of professions such
as chemists, physicists, engineers, computer specialists, graphic designers, etc. A catch-all class for computer services.
Class 43 (Restaurant, hospitality and food services)
Includes
mainly services provided by persons or establishments whose aim is to
prepare food and drink for consumption and services provided to obtain
bed and board in hotels, boarding houses or other establishments
providing temporary accommodations.
Class 44 (Medical, hygienic, etc.)
Includes
mainly medical care, hygienic and beauty care given by persons or
establishments to human beings and animals; it also includes services
relating to the fields of agriculture, horticulture and forestry.
Class 45 (Miscellaneous)
The new miscellaneous services class that covers services that are not categorized elsewhere, this covers a broad spectrum of services including but not limited to social networking services, funeral services, legal services, consulting services, charitable services and many more.