The Nice Classification: how to choose the right classes for your trademark

When you apply for a trademark, giving the name or the logo is not enough: you must also state which goods and services you will use it for. This list follows the Nice Classification and is perhaps the most important decision in the application, because a mark is protected only for the classes and goods you file. This guide explains the classes, gives practical examples and shows how the AI class agent on trademark.al helps you.

Trademarks in the DPPI register (Albania): 63.878
Trademarks in the KIPA register (Kosovo): 45.262
Companies in the QKB register (Albania): 365.892
Businesses in the ARBK register (Kosovo): 274.184

What the Nice Classification is

The Nice Classification comes from the Nice Agreement of 1957 and is administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). It divides goods and services into 45 classes: classes 1–34 for goods and classes 35–45 for services. Trademark offices around the world use it, including the General Directorate of Industrial Property (DPPI) in Albania and the Kosovo Industrial Property Agency (KIPA). Under Nice classes each class has its own page, with its heading, explanatory note, example terms and the latest Albanian and Kosovo marks in that class.

Why choosing the classes matters so much

It sets the scope of protection. If the mark is registered only for clothing (class 25) and someone uses the same name for a restaurant (class 43), your protection usually does not cover that use, unless your mark is well known.
It decides the conflicts. In an opposition, the office also compares how similar the goods and services are; in the same or related classes the likelihood of confusion grows.
It affects the cost. The first class is included in the office's base fee; each additional class is charged separately.
Extra classes are not “free”. A mark may be revoked if it is not genuinely used for the registered goods for 5 years.

Some frequently used classes

Class 3 – cosmetics and cleaning preparations; class 5 – pharmaceutical preparations and dietary supplements.
Class 9 – electronic apparatus, software and downloadable apps.
Class 25 – clothing, footwear and headwear.
Class 29 – meat, fish and processed foods; class 30 – coffee, tea, bread and pastries.
Class 32 – beers and non-alcoholic drinks; class 33 – alcoholic drinks except beer.
Class 35 – advertising, business management and retail, online too.
Class 39 – transport, packaging and delivery; class 41 – education, training and entertainment.
Class 42 – technology services, software development and SaaS; class 43 – restaurants, cafés and hotels.

Practical examples

Restaurant or café-bar

The venue's name is protected mainly in class 43. Home delivery is a class 39 service, live music or parties are class 41 services, while coffee or pastries packaged under your name are protected as goods in class 30.

Online shop

Online selling and marketplace platforms are class 35 services, with terms that say what you sell. The platform as a software service is protected in class 42, delivery and packaging in class 39, and products under your brand in their own goods classes.

App or software

A downloadable app is a class 9 good; developing software and providing it online without download are class 42 services. Many start-ups need both.

Official terms: not just the class number

An application does not simply say “class 25”: it lists the specific goods and services within the class, in terms the office understands. Vague terms can lead to objections from the office and delays. On trademark.al the goods and services are not taken from free text: they are built from the official terms of WIPO's classification, in line with the WIPO 09/2026 standard, with the Albanian text for filing and the English reference.

How the AI class agent helps you

In the application form, steps 3 to 6 are built precisely for the classes:

Business and activities: describe in your own words what you produce, sell or offer and press Analyse – or choose “I will choose the classes myself”.
Questions: a few questions, one at a time, refine the protection – e.g. whether you deliver or sell online.
Proposed classes: essential, recommended and protective, with the official terms for each.
Classes and cost: you see the chosen classes and the cost before you continue.

You always check and change the proposals yourself.

Five quick tips

Start from what you sell today and add what you will really start soon.
Do not forget the services that accompany the product: deliveries, online sales, training.
When you sell products under your brand, protect the goods too, not just the shop.
Check similar marks in the same or related classes – see the trademark search.
For businesses in Albania and Kosovo, use the same class logic in both applications.

You will find the full guide in the article The Nice Classification: how to choose the classes.

Frequently asked questions

How many classes does the Nice Classification have?

45 classes: classes 1–34 for goods and classes 35–45 for services.

Is each class charged separately?

The first class is included in the office's base fee; each additional class is charged separately. You see the full cost at the “Classes and cost” step – see also the registration cost.

Can I choose the classes myself?

Yes. The AI class agent proposes classes once you describe your activity, but you can also choose them yourself and you always have the last word.

Can I add classes after the mark has been filed?

Not to the same registration: not even renewal adds new classes. New fields need a new application, with the relevant classes.

Do Albania and Kosovo use the same classes?

Yes. DPPI and KIPA both use the Nice Classification with 45 classes, so you can use the same list of goods and services in both applications.

Find the right classes for your trademark

Describe your business in your own words and the AI class agent proposes the Nice classes with the official terms, together with the cost.