Back to Classes of goods & services

Should I also consider my future expansion plans when selecting the classes for the trademark?

Senior Trademark Attorney

Yes, if you’re planning to expand your business in the near future, you should include the new goods and services in your original trademark application. Including them at the time of filing is cheaper and more efficient than filing a separate new application later. Moreover, the original filing will apply to all included classes, protecting against conflicting filings in the interim.

The practical limit is that classes with no genuine commercial activity within five years after registration can be cancelled by a third party for non-use. Include classes where use is a realistic near-term plan, not speculative future possibilities.

Related questions

Stories of our clients: SquidWeb

SquidWeb represents a single solution enterprise software encompassing every tool needed by event staffing companies to smoothly run business - and will be developed now to an industry-independent ERP system. In-depth automation, time savings through effective collaboration and service guarantee make SquidWeb stand out, contributing towards the success the company has achieved over the last 2 decades. The full story of SquidWeb’s origin dating back to the student days of its founder Simon Stürtz is truly inspiring and so are the current brand protection efforts that we explore together with Kristina Huch.

Can you change your trademark over time?

Brands tend to evolve and undergo numerous changes over time. Many companies have changed their names to cater to a larger audience, either by altering their original logos for a more modern look or abandoning controversial words in their slogans. As the company expands beyond its planned offerings of goods and services or decides to take a different direction altogether, usually what follows are certain changes or even complete rebranding. A common question is then: can trademarks change over time? Well, it depends.

Stories of our clients: ShyneDurags

“Our continual drive for excellence made us the best selling durag brand in the UK. Last year, we began trading on Amazon and found the marketplace to have a handful of rogue sellers who attempted to tarnish others’ brand reputation. This issue was quickly dealt with after trademark certifications were provided to Amazon.” Read the full story of Alvin Mills, the founder of ShyneDurags, who continues in his goal to create the #1 online destination for afro hair care.