What is the Nice Classification?
The Nice Agreement, established in Nice, France on June 15, 1957, and enforced on April 8, 1961, provides a systematic method for classifying goods and services for trademark registration purposes. This agreement divides goods into 34 classes and services into 11 classes, simplifying the process of trademark searching and management. Some countries, like China and Japan, further divide these classes into groups, making it easier for applicants to comprehend the similarities and extent of protection for various goods in a more user-friendly manner. For example, in the Similar Goods and Services Table Based on the 11th Edition of the Nice Classification (2017) in China, Class 25, "clothing, footwear, headgear," is broken down into 13 groups of similar goods. These groups consist of a diverse range of goods, such as "work overall 250010," "sweater 250034," and "garment *250045." When submitting an application, the applicant must provide a specific name for the goods, such as "sweater," rather than the group or class name.
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