When filing a trade mark application or assessing the relevance of a registered trade mark, the scope of the rights is partly determined by the list of goods and services of the trade mark application or registration in question.

For administrative purposes, and especially to assist with searching for relevant trade marks, goods and services are placed into classes. The system used by almost all countries in the world is called the Nice Classification, which is made up of 45 classes.

The Nice Classification is updated every five years and the latest edition came into effect on 1 January 2026. This new edition brought some significant changes that users of trade mark systems worldwide need to be aware of. Certain goods were moved to different classes, meaning that when searching for existing trade marks that could conflict with a new trade mark, both the old and new classes will need to be covered by the search. Watching services (used to alert trade mark owners to new applications which may be of concern) will also need to be updated so that the new classes are covered.

The key changes are:

• Spectacles (including sunglasses) and contact lenses have moved from Class 9 to Class 10.
• Certain rescue/emergency vehicles have been moved from Class 9 to Class 12.
• Heated clothing has been moved from Class 11 to Class 25.

Further details, published by the World Intellectual Property Organisation which oversees the Nice Classification system, can be found here.

If you need advice on trade mark applications, searching or watching services (or any other aspect of trade marks law), please contact one of our trade marks team, who will be happy to help.