Choosing trademark classes means translating what your business actually does into the TÜRKPATENT list of goods and services. The right method is: first write down the products and services on which you use the mark, then match each of them to sub-groups in the list, and only then simplify the scope for cost and strategy.
This is the one decision in an application that cannot be reversed. You can change the mark, update the logo, correct the address; but no class can be added after registration. A new field requires a new application, and that application queues behind every third-party filing made in the meantime.
If you are looking for the full list of 45 classes, you will find it in Trademark Classes in Türkiye: All 45 Classes. This article is about the method, not the list.
Step 1: Write Your Activity in Sentences
Do not start with class numbers. First write, in ordinary language, what you actually use the mark on:
- "We produce our own women's clothing designs and sell them in our own shop and website."
- "We run a restaurant and also sell packaged coffee under our own brand."
- "We built a mobile app; the app is free, but corporate customers get a subscription dashboard."
Every verb in those sentences points to a different class: to produce, to sell, to operate, to develop, to provide a subscription. The more concrete the sentence, the more accurate the mapping.
Step 2: Goods or Services?
This is the fundamental division in the list. Classes 1–34 cover goods; classes 35–45 cover services.
The critical point: selling a product is not the same as making it. The "product" belongs to a goods class, while "retail/store services" belongs to class 35. They are separate areas of protection.
| What you do | Class type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| You make the product, or have it made under your brand | Relevant goods class | Clothing → 25, cosmetics → 3, food → 29/30 |
| You sell other people's products | 35 (retail) | Multi-brand store, marketplace seller |
| You provide a service | Relevant service class | Restaurant → 43, courses → 41, software → 42 |
| You both make and sell | Goods class + 35 | Own-brand boutique with e-commerce |
Step 3: Go Down to Sub-Group Level
In the TÜRKPATENT list, classes are divided into sub-groups, and what you actually select in an application is those sub-groups. The class number alone expresses no scope.
Two consequences follow:
- When a sub-group is selected, the whole of that sub-group enters your scope; you cannot carve a single item out of it.
- In its similarity examination TÜRKPATENT treats goods and services in the same sub-group as similar as a rule. Being in the same sub-group as a competitor therefore directly determines your refusal and opposition risk.
Class 35 is where most mistakes happen: retail services form their own sub-group of that class and do not fall within scope unless expressly claimed. See Class 35: Retail and Store Services.
Note also that under Communiqué 2026/2, when retail and wholesale services are described in class 35, only goods groups may be listed; service groups cannot be shown within that scope.
Step 4: Simplify the Scope
The question at this stage is: "do I genuinely need this class?"
Apply three filters:
- Use filter. Do you use the mark for these goods or services today, or will you in the near term? Classes not put to genuine use within five years of registration are open to a revocation request (Article 26).
- Risk filter. Is there a strong similar mark in this class? If so, adding the class can put the whole application at risk — even an opposition aimed at a single class delays everything.
- Cost filter. Additional classes raise both the application and the renewal fee. Renewal recurs every ten years; an unnecessary class today is a permanent line item.
For a fuller treatment see How Many Classes Should a Trademark Cover?
Step 5: Search in the Classes You Chose
Once the classes are settled, the question becomes whether the mark is available in them. Searching is class-specific: if your mark clashes in class 25 but is clear in class 35, structuring the scope accordingly may save the process.
A brand name search at this stage is the only way to see the risk before paying official fees. It must cover marks that are visually and phonetically close, not just identical names — that is also how TÜRKPATENT assesses refusal.
The Five Most Common Mistakes
- Taking class 35 only. A business selling goods that takes only class 35 leaves use of the mark on the product unprotected. A competitor may register the same name in the goods class.
- Copying the trade registry objects clause. Activity codes and Nice classes are different systems; a broad description in the registry does not define trademark scope.
- Stacking classes "just in case". Unused classes generate both cost and a revocation risk after five years.
- Ignoring franchise plans. A business intending to build a chain that takes only the service class under-protects the trademark use on which the franchise relationship rests.
- Selecting the class instead of the sub-group. "I have class 35" is not enough; the sub-groups you obtained define the scope.
We set out the consequences of getting this wrong, and what can be corrected, in What Happens If You Choose the Wrong Trademark Class?
Sector Decision Guides
Guides mapping business models onto classes:
- Software and mobile apps
- E-commerce and social media / digital services
- Restaurants, beauty salons, education
- Clothing, cosmetics
- Construction, consulting
Let Us Build Your Scope Together
Class selection is done by understanding a business, not by reading a list. Describe what you do, and our trademark registration team will set out which classes are necessary and which are not, with the reasoning.