Trademark Classes in Nepal: Nice Classification Guide

Trademark classes are the categories of goods and services under which a trademark is registered. Nepal uses the international Nice Classification system: 45 classes in total, with Classes 1–34 covering goods and Classes 35–45 covering services. The Department of Industry (DOI) requires a separate application for each class, so choosing the right class or classes is one of the most consequential decisions in a trademark filing.

Trademark Classes in Nepal at a Glance

Does One Trademark Registration Protect Every Product or Service?

No. A trademark registration in Nepal protects the mark only in connection with the goods or services covered by the application. The class or classes you choose define the boundaries of that protection.

This surprises many first-time applicants. Registering a mark in Class 25 does not automatically give blanket protection across unrelated goods and services in every other class. However, class numbers are not absolute boundaries: conflicts may still arise across different classes where the goods or services are related, consumers may be confused, or broader trademark protections apply.

Two practical conclusions follow:

1. Choosing a class is choosing the territory of your rights. A mark can be registered by different owners in different classes for different goods or services — that is a normal outcome, not an error.

2. Under-protection is a common and expensive mistake. If your business genuinely operates in more than one class, a single-class registration leaves the rest of your activity exposed.

What Is the Nice Classification?

The Nice Classification (NCL) is the international system for classifying goods and services for trademark registration. It was established by the Nice Agreement of 1957 and is administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). More than 150 trademark offices use it, which is why the same 45-class structure appears in filings from Kathmandu to Geneva.

Key facts about the system:

• Structure: 34 classes of goods (1–34) and 11 classes of services (35–45).

• Editions: WIPO publishes a new edition of the Nice Classification every three years, with updated versions issued annually. The current 13th edition, NCL(13-2026), entered into force on 1 January 2026.

• Purpose: it organises examination, searching and registration. It does not itself decide whether two marks conflict — but it shapes where examiners and courts look.

The 13th edition is a refinement rather than an overhaul, but it includes reclassifications that matter at the margins: for example, eyewear moved from Class 9 to Class 10, emergency vehicles from Class 9 to Class 12, and electrically heated clothing from Class 11 to Class 25, while "AI as a service" is now expressly listed in Class 42. New filings from 1 January 2026 are examined under the new edition.

How Nepal uses the Nice Classification

Nepal's Patent, Design and Trade Mark Act, 2022 (1965) does not hard-code the 45-class list. Instead:

• Section 18A(1) empowers the Government of Nepal to classify goods and services for trademark registration by notification in the Nepal Gazette.

• In practice, DOI's trademark materials follow the international Nice structure. DOI's own Trademark Guideline includes a 45-class classification schedule for goods and services (Schedule 10 of the guideline), and DOI's Industrial Property Bulletin uses Nice-style class headings.

For applicants, the practical meaning is simple: file using the Nice Classification, and expect DOI to examine and publish your application by Nice class.

Goods vs Services: The First Decision

Before choosing a class number, decide whether you are protecting a thing or an activity:

• Goods (Classes 1–34) are physical or downloadable products: tea, clothing, soap, machinery, packaged food, software you sell as a product.

• Services (Classes 35–45) are things you do for others: restaurants, hotels, transport, education, IT services, consultancy, advertising.

Many modern businesses sell both. A coffee brand that roasts and sells packaged coffee (Class 30) and also runs cafés (Class 43) is active in two classes. A software company that sells a downloadable app (Class 9) and also provides the same tools as an online service (Class 42) may need both.

Choosing a Class vs Describing Goods Within the Class

These are two separate steps, and confusing them causes weak applications:

• Choosing the class picks the category — for example, Class 25 for clothing.

• Describing the goods or services specifies what, within that category, the mark covers — for example, "T-shirts, trousers, jackets and caps" rather than just "clothing."

The description matters because it defines the actual scope of the registration within the class. A vague or over-broad description can slow examination; a description that is too narrow leaves gaps an imitator can exploit. Under the 13th edition, examiners internationally are pressing for greater specificity — write the description around what you actually sell or do, plus near-term expansion plans.

The 45 Trademark Classes Explained

The descriptions below are working summaries of the class headings, with examples chosen to be useful to businesses operating in Nepal. The legal classification of any specific item depends on the goods or services themselves, so treat the examples as orientation, not determinations.

Classes 1–34: Goods

Classes 35–45: Services

Nepal-Specific Examples: Which Class Does Your Business Need?

Read the "often also needed" column carefully: it is where most under-protection happens. A Nepali clothing brand that registers only Class 25 but sells through its own branded retail outlets and leather accessories may need Classes 35 and 18 as well. Classification should follow your real and planned business activity — not a competitor's filing, and not a guess.

Not sure which trademark class covers your business? This is the point where most filings go wrong. Company Darta Nepal reviews the proposed mark, the goods and services you actually offer, and the likely classes with you before anything is filed with DOI — so the application covers the business you run today and the one you are building toward. See Trademark & IP Protection services.

When Multiple Classes Are Required

Section 18A(2) of the Act requires a separate application for goods or services in different categories. In practice that means:

• each class is its own application with its own documents;

• each application is examined and published separately;

• each successful class carries its own fees.

At current DOI Citizen Charter rates, two successful one-class filings cost NPR 12,000 in basic government fees (2 × NPR 1,000 application + 2 × NPR 5,000 registration), before professional fees. Confirm current amounts with DOI at filing, since fees are revised from time to time.

Do not add classes for vanity. Each class adds cost and each application faces its own examination and possible complaints. But do not under-file either: adding a class later means a new application, a new queue and a new window in which someone else can move first.

How to Choose the Right Class: A Practical Process

1. List what you actually sell or do — products and services separately, today and for the next two to three years.

2. Map each item to a class using the class headings above, WIPO's official Nice Classification (class headings and the alphabetical list), and DOI's Trademark Guideline classification schedule.

3. Write the goods/services description for each class around your real activity, with reasonable room for growth.

4. Check adjacent classes — the ones your customers, suppliers or imitators would plausibly use.

5. Budget for separate applications per class under Section 18A(2).

6. File with DOI's Industrial Property Section. Class selection is part of the application itself — the full procedure, documents and fees are covered in our complete guide to trademark registration in Nepal.

Common Trademark Class Mistakes in Nepal

• Copying a competitor's classes. Their business is not yours; their classification may not cover your goods or services.

• Choosing by industry habit. "IT company" is not a class. A software firm may need Class 9, 42, 35 or all three depending on what it actually sells.

• Registering the product but forgetting the service (or vice versa). Packaged tea (30) and a tea-house chain (43) are different registrations.

• Over-broad descriptions. Sweeping claims invite examiner questions; precise descriptions proceed more smoothly.

• Assuming one registration covers "everything." Protection is tied to the classes and descriptions in the application.

• Ignoring the 13th edition. Filings from 1 January 2026 are examined under NCL-13; legacy class assumptions (eyewear in Class 9, heated clothing in Class 11) are outdated.
  
  

Choosing the right class is the single most consequential decision in a trademark filing — and the hardest to fix later. Company Darta Nepal's Trademark & IP Protection service includes class selection and goods/services drafting before filing with the Department of Industry. For the full filing procedure, documents and current fees, see our trademark registration guide.