International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purposes of the Registration of Marks (Nice Classification)

Overview

The Nice Classification (NCL) is an international classification of goods and services applied for the registration of trademarks and service marks. It was established by an international, multilateral agreement concluded at a Diplomatic Conference held in Nice in 1957: the Nice Agreement Concerning the International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purposes of the Registration of Marks.

The Electronic Forum has been available since May 2010. It has been developed in order to facilitate the process of submission and discussion of proposals for changes to the Nice, Vienna and Locarno Classifications by the countries of the respective Unions and by certain organizations specialized in the field of trademarks or industrial designs. Access to the information posted on the electronic forum is open to the public.

The 23rd session of the Committee of Experts of the Nice Union will be held in Geneva, from April 22 to 26, 2013.  The Committee will discuss proposals for changes to NCL(10-2013). Such proposals are available on the electronic forum, www.wipo.int/nef , projects NI001 to NI013.

 The 2013 version of the 10th edition of the Nice Classification is now available online. It entered into force on January 1, 2013. Please, note that the paper publication has been discontinued, the 10th edition published in 2011 being the last printed edition.

The annual versions of each edition of the Nice Classification are available in the authentic languages only, i.e. in English and in French. At the request of interested national trademark offices, the International Bureau will publish official texts in other languages for the new editions only. The next, 11th edition, will be published probably in 2016.

For more information about editions and annual versions, see “Nice News” below.