Trademark classification identifies and categorizes trademarks for official registration and use in business. It distinguishes between trademarks and service marks and specifies the type of goods or services protected by the trademark. A trademark registration is specific to the type of industry and use. The classification is necessary for trademark registration and is usually specific to the type of goods or services protected. The United States Patent and Trademark Office has a list of general classes of goods and services, and more specific classifications exist for brand protection and service marks.
A trademark classification typically refers to one of several ways in which a trademark is correctly identified and classified with reference to how it is officially registered. There are several types of classification, the most basic being the differentiation between specific types of trademarks such as service marks and trademarks. A classification of a trademark also usually refers to how that trademark is then further classified for use in business. This is usually quite specific with regards to the type of goods or services protected by the trademark.
When a trademark is officially registered with the relevant government agency that handles trademarks for a particular country, it is usually necessary to provide the classification of the trademark to identify the type of business in which the trademark will be valid. A trademark protects a particular type of business use, so a single trademark registration cannot be used to protect a name or logo for use in every type of industry. One of the most basic forms of classifying marks is the distinction between different types of marks. A trademark is used to protect an identifier used in business recognition for a product that is manufactured and sold, while a service mark protects identifiers used for services offered.
Beyond this initial distinction, however, there is also a classification of trademarks used to indicate what kind of use the trademark will specifically protect. When a trademark is registered, the person registering the trademark must also include the type of goods or services in which the trademark will be used. This usually needs to be as specific as possible and guidelines have been established by most government offices to ensure that only valid classification of the mark is used on an application. Some countries will allow a single trademark to be registered for multiple classifications, while other countries require individual registration for each use.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office, for example, has a list of general classes of goods and services that a trademark must fall under. A brand classification will often be even more specific than the general class, but these are minimal classifications. Brand protection product classes include chemicals, paints, pharmaceuticals, firearms, jewelry, and household items. More specific forms of brand classification will include identifiers such as ‘food preservation chemicals’ and ‘household cleaning supplies’.
A classification for a service mark will also be a similar identifier for a particular type of service offered by an enterprise. These classifications can include advertising, education and computer services. Specific classifications include “provision of training” and “design and development of computer hardware and software”.
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