# How to Choose Trademark Classes: A 5-Step Method

> How do you choose trademark classes? A five-step method for translating your business into goods and services classes, how to draft scope, and the mistakes to avoid.

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- Last updated: 2026-08-19
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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](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/blog/45-nice-classification-classes-full-list). 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](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/blog/class-35-trademark-registration-retail-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:

1. **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).
2. **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.
3. **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?](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/blog/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](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/blog/how-to-do-a-trademark-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

1. **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.
2. **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.
3. **Stacking classes "just in case".** Unused classes generate both cost and a revocation risk after five years.
4. **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.
5. **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?](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/blog/wrong-trademark-class-consequences)

## Sector Decision Guides

Guides mapping business models onto classes:

- [Software](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/blog/trademark-class-for-software) and [mobile apps](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/blog/trademark-class-for-mobile-apps)
- [E-commerce](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/blog/trademark-class-for-e-commerce) and [social media / digital services](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/blog/trademark-class-for-social-media-and-digital-services)
- [Restaurants](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/blog/trademark-class-for-restaurants), [beauty salons](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/blog/trademark-class-for-beauty-salons), [education](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/blog/trademark-class-for-education-services)
- [Clothing](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/blog/trademark-class-for-clothing-brands), [cosmetics](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/blog/trademark-class-for-cosmetics-brands)
- [Construction](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/blog/trademark-class-for-construction-companies), [consulting](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/blog/trademark-class-for-consulting-services)

## 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](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/hizmetler/marka-tescil) team will set out which classes are necessary and which are not, with the reasoning.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Can I choose the classes myself?

You can file yourself and choose classes yourself. But this is the one decision that cannot be corrected after registration: if the scope is too narrow you need a fresh application, and if it is too broad you pay more and carry a revocation risk on unused classes after five years.

### Do the activity codes on my trade registry record determine the class?

No. Activity codes and Nice classes are different systems and do not map onto each other. Class selection is based on the goods and services on which you actually use the mark, not on the objects clause in the registry.

### I manufacture and also sell. Do I need both the goods class and class 35?

Usually yes. The goods class protects the product itself; class 35 protects the retail or store service. If you sell your own branded product through your own channel both are meaningful; with class 35 alone, use of the mark on the product may be left unprotected.

### Should I include fields I plan to enter later?

If the plan is concrete and near-term, yes. But a mark must be put to genuine use for the goods and services registered; classes not used for five years from registration may be subject to a revocation request under Article 26 of the Industrial Property Code.

### What is the most common mistake in class selection?

Confusing the retail service with the product itself. A shop that takes only class 35 gains no protection for use of the mark on the goods it sells; a manufacturer that takes only the goods class cannot protect its own retail service.

## Related Resources

- [Trademark Registration](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/hizmetler/marka-tescil): Explains how a trademark application is handled before TÜRKPATENT, from the preliminary search and class selection to the registration certificate.
- [Trademark Watch](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/hizmetler/marka-izleme): Covers monitoring similar applications published in the Official Trademark Bulletin and reporting them before the opposition period ends.
- [Trademark Classes in Turkey: All 45 Classes Explained](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/blog/45-nice-classification-classes-full-list): What are the trademark classes? The full list of all 45 Nice classes, what each one covers, and the changes introduced by TÜRKPATENT Communiqué 2026/2.
- [How Many Classes Should a Trademark Cover?](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/blog/how-many-classes-should-a-trademark-cover): How many classes should you register? The balance of use, risk and cost that sets the number, and the real price of both too few and too many classes.
- [What Happens If You Choose the Wrong Trademark Class?](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/blog/wrong-trademark-class-consequences): Registered in the wrong class? Protection does not arise where you expected it. The effect of missing, excess and mistaken classes, and what can be fixed.
- [How to Do a Trademark Search](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/blog/how-to-do-a-trademark-search): How do you search a trademark? The steps for searching TÜRKPATENT records free of charge, what a similarity search must actually cover, and how to read the result.
- [How to Draft the Goods and Services List for a Trademark in Turkey](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/blog/drafting-the-goods-and-services-list): How to draft a trademark goods and services list in Turkey: subgroups, broad vs. selective lists, Class 35 retail services, fee item 02.01.34 and an example.
- [Which Class Are Cosmetics Brands Registered In?](https://www.webx.net.tr/en/blog/trademark-class-for-cosmetics-brands): Cosmetics brands are registered in class 3; dermocosmetics and supplements may fall into class 5 and treatment services into class 44. A guide by product type.