Trademark Classes
4 min
Which Class Are Clothing Brands Registered In?
The core of clothing brands is class 25, but if your collection extends to bags, jewellery or home textiles the scope will not stop at one class.
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Trademark protection is not unlimited: it only covers the goods and services classes you select when filing. The Nice Classification divides goods and services into 45 classes, 1 to 34 for goods and 35 to 45 for services. The articles here set out the full list, explain which activity falls into which class, and show the mistakes people most often make when choosing.
The point most often misunderstood is that making a product and selling it are protected in different classes: covering the goods class does not cover class 35, which protects retail and store services for those goods. You will find which classes belong together for concrete business models such as software, e-commerce and restaurants, how many classes it is reasonable to register, and what a wrong class choice costs later. A class cannot be added to an application once it has been filed, so the decision has to be right from the outset.
In cosmetics the class is decided by the product's claim: care and beautifying products sit in class 3, while therapeutic claims can move a product into class 5.
The core of clothing brands is class 25, but if your collection extends to bags, jewellery or home textiles the scope will not stop at one class.
A wrong class is usually discovered only after the certificate arrives. We set out the consequences of missing, excess and mistaken class selection, and which corrections are possible.
There is no formula for the right number of classes; it comes from balancing use, risk and cost. Too few and too many each carry their own price.
In digital services the nature of the work decides the class: advertising and management 35, content production 41, platforms 42, communications infrastructure 38.
Mobile apps fall into class 9 because they are a downloaded product. The service behind the app maps to a different class; we explain the distinction.
The core of education services is class 41. Online platforms, downloadable content and printed material fall into separate classes; we explain which you need.
There is no single class for consultancy; the subject matter decides it. We map the five main consulting fields onto their classes.
In construction the class turns on the difference between building and selling: building is class 37, selling and managing is class 36. Project marks are a separate question.
Beauty and personal care services sit in class 44. If you launch your own product line or provide training the scope widens; we set out which activity falls where.
If you couldn't find an answer in our blog posts, our trademark experts will be happy to provide personal consultation.