Trademark classes explained (and why filing in the right one matters)

A trademark isn't protected everywhere for everything — it's protected for the specific goods and services you register it under. Those are organised into 45 classes.

Goods vs services

Classes 1–34 cover goods (from chemicals to clothing), and classes 35–45 cover services (from advertising to legal services). A software company, for example, often files in class 9 and class 42.

Filing across multiple classes

If your brand spans products and services — say you sell branded merchandise and run an app — you may need to file in several classes. Each class is a separate application fee, so scoping this correctly upfront saves money.

Get the search right first

Before filing, a proper search across the relevant classes tells you whether a conflicting mark already exists. This is the single most valuable step — it prevents costly objections later.