A trademark in India is registered for specific goods or services, not for everything you might ever sell. Those goods and services are sorted into 45 classes: classes 1 to 34 cover goods, and classes 35 to 45 cover services. You choose the classes when you file, the official fee is charged per class, and your protection is strongest inside the classes and descriptions you actually register.
So the practical question is not “how many classes exist” but “which classes does my business really trade in, now and in the next few years?” This post explains how the system works and how to answer that question without under-filing or paying for classes you will never use. If you would rather have the class mapping and filing handled, our trademark filing service prepares the TM-A application and files it for you.
Where the 45 classes come from
India follows the international Nice Classification maintained by WIPO. Rule 20 of the Trade Marks Rules, 2017 says goods and services are classified as per the current edition of the Nice Classification, and the Registrar publishes a class-wise and alphabetical index that includes goods and services of Indian origin.
The classification is revised regularly. According to WIPO’s notice, the 2026 version of the 13th edition came into force on 1 January 2026. Revisions can move items between classes. In the 2026 version, for example, spectacles, sunglasses and contact lenses moved from Class 9 to Class 10. If an older guide tells you where a product belongs, check it against the current list on the WIPO Nice Classification site before you file.
Goods or services? The distinction that trips people up
Most filing mistakes come from treating a business as one thing when the law sees two. A few common splits:
- Making a product vs selling other people’s products. Clothing itself is Class 25. Running an online or physical store that sells clothing is a retail service, which sits in Class 35.
- Downloadable software vs software as a service. An app or program the customer downloads is generally Class 9. Software you host and provide online (SaaS), and software development services, are generally Class 42.
- Food you pack vs food you serve. Packaged foods fall in goods classes such as 29, 30 or 32 depending on the product. Serving food and drink in a café or restaurant is Class 43.
- Cosmetic vs medicinal. Ordinary skincare and cosmetics are Class 3. Products presented as medicinal or pharmaceutical go to Class 5.
If you get the split wrong, the registration may simply not cover the activity you care about. A café chain registered only in Class 30 owns rights in its packaged coffee, not in its restaurant service.
Classes businesses commonly consider
The table below is illustrative only. It shows the classes a business of each kind would usually look at first. Your own list depends on what you actually sell and how you describe it.
| Type of business (example) | Classes usually looked at | Why |
|---|---|---|
| D2C clothing label | 25, 35; 18 if it sells bags | Garments, its own online store, leather goods |
| Packaged spices or snacks | 30 or 29; 35 if it runs a store | The food product itself, then retail |
| Café or cloud kitchen | 43; 30 for packaged products | Food service, then any packaged range |
| SaaS or app startup | 42, 9 | Hosted software and development; downloadable app |
| Coaching or ed-tech | 41; 9 or 16 for apps or printed material | Education services, then course products |
| Skincare brand | 3; 5 only for medicated products | Cosmetics vs pharmaceutical preparations |
| Jewellery brand | 14; 35 for retail | Jewellery goods, then the store |
| Fintech platform | 36, 42, 9 | Financial services, the platform, the app |
| Logistics or courier | 39 | Transport and delivery services |
How to decide which classes to file in
- Start with what you sell today. List every product and service that will carry the brand at launch. Each one maps to a class.
- Add what is genuinely planned. A skincare brand with a confirmed plan for a retail website could add Class 35 now. A vague idea of “maybe furniture one day” usually does not justify a class.
- Write the specification carefully. Inside each class you describe the goods or services in words. That description, not just the class number, decides what is covered. Use the Registrar’s index terms where they fit, and avoid wording so broad that it invites an objection.
- Search each class before filing. An identical or similar earlier mark in one class can block that class even if the others are clear. The examiner also searches earlier marks for the same or similar goods or services, so a clash may come from a neighbouring class.
- Remember non-use. A registration that is not used can be challenged for removal after a continuous five-year period of non-use. Filing in classes you have no plan to use can create cost without creating lasting rights.
Single-class or multi-class application?
Indian law lets one application cover several classes. The Trade Marks Act, 1999 (section 18(2), on India Code) allows a single application for different classes, with the fee paid for each class. The official schedule on IP India’s fee page confirms this: the TM-A fee is “for each class and for each mark”. E-filing costs ₹4,500 per class for individuals, startups and small enterprises, and ₹9,000 per class in other cases. A three-class application therefore costs three times the single-class fee; there is no bundle discount.
What a multi-class application changes is administration:
- One number, one file. You track one application, reply to one examination report and later renew one registration.
- One problem can slow everything. An objection or opposition aimed at one class affects the whole file. Under Rule 42 of the 2017 Rules, if an opposition targets only some classes, the remaining classes do not proceed to registration until you ask for the application to be divided (Form TM-M with the divisional fee).
- Separate applications isolate risk. Filing class by class costs the same official fee, but a dispute in one class does not hold up the others.
A reasonable rule of thumb: if every class has a clean search, one multi-class application is simpler. If one class looks crowded or risky, file that class separately so it cannot delay the rest.
Frequently asked questions
Can I add a class to my application later?
Adding a new class to a filed application is generally not how the system works. The usual route is a fresh application for the new class, which gets its own filing date.
Does registration in one class stop others using my name in a different class?
Not automatically. Protection centres on the registered goods and services and similar ones. Very well-known marks can get wider protection, but most businesses should not rely on that.
Is a logo filed in different classes from a word mark?
No. Classes depend on the goods or services, not on whether the mark is a word or a logo. The word and the logo are, however, separate marks, and each one needs its own application.
Complianto (complianto.in), operated by Mentorcorp Private Limited, is a private consultancy and is not affiliated with any government body. We do not issue official documents. We charge a professional fee for application assistance and advisory services. Applicants can apply directly to the government without our fees via the official portals: MCA (mca.gov.in), Income Tax (incometax.gov.in), GST (gst.gov.in), MSME (udyamregistration.gov.in), FSSAI (foscos.fssai.gov.in), Startup India (startupindia.gov.in), and IP India (ipindia.gov.in).
This article is general information, not legal or tax advice.
