What is the Nice classification system for trademarks?
When you apply for a trademark, you must specify the goods and/or services you wish to protect. These goods and services are split across 45 classes (categories) used internationally and known as the Nice Classification system.
The system is based on the 1957 ‘Nice Agreement Concerningthe International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purposes of theRegistration of Marks’. The Nice Classification is administered by the World Intellectual Property Organisation(WIPO).
Within the 45 classes, goods are assigned to Classes 1 – 34,and services to Classes 35 – 45. Each class is represented by a class heading,which gives general information about the type of goods or services covered.For example, the Class 25 heading is 'Clothing, footwear and headgear’. At theend of this blog, we’ve included a handy downloadable list of the 45 classeswith our own descriptions of the key goods and services they cover.
Nice is regularly updated and revised. The current editionis the eleventh (hence Nice 11) and the 2019 version came into force in January2019. The system is applied in 150 countries, which makes applying fortrademarks internationally a more streamlined process.
Canada is the most recent country to adopt the NiceClassification. This means that Canadian trademark attorneys and their staffare facing a whole new way of doing things when it comes to applying fortrademarks, as well as reclassifying existing trademark registrations. Manywill be looking to increase the efficiency of their filing processes, andthat’s where we can help.
Sortify.tm has a range of tools aimed at helping you navigate Nice 11. For example, the Reclassifier has been designed and built specifically for Canadian practitioners who are required to reclassify existing trademark registrations at the time of renewal. The Reclassifer quickly sorts the goods and services into the correct Nice 11 classes, and colour codes any goods or services that might need a closer look.
We can help make the transition to Nice 11 much easier, so don’t hesitate to get in touch. You can schedule a demo.