Updated September 19, 2026 · Markframe
Trademark classes in Canada: describe the business before choosing numbers
Classes organize goods and services and help determine filing fees. The important starting point is an accurate description of what your brand will offer.
The short answer
The Nice Classification has 45 classes: 34 for goods and 11 for services. Class headings describe broad categories; they are not a substitute for specifying the actual goods or services in a Canadian application.
Translate your pitch into a business inventory
A pitch such as ‘technology solutions for growing companies’ may work in a conversation, but it leaves important questions unanswered. Are customers buying downloadable software, accessing a hosted tool, receiving consulting, or purchasing a combination? Describe the deliverable before searching for class numbers.
Make a simple inventory with one activity per line. For each, write what is supplied, what it does and how the customer receives it. Separate the goods you sell from services you perform for others. This is our preparation method, not pre-approved application wording.
Use the Canadian manual as a starting point
CIPO’s Goods and Services Manual contains pre-approved terms and their classifications. A term’s absence does not automatically make it unacceptable; custom wording still requires examination. Choosing a listed term does not establish that the trademark itself is registrable.
A fictional business brief, made clearer
Imagine a founder describing the business as ‘internet services.’ Before classification, ask whether that means building websites, hosting customer websites, supplying connectivity, or another activity. Those are different offers, even when the founder uses the same umbrella phrase.
The useful result is a clearer scope statement, not a confident-looking number attached to a vague phrase. Keep the founder’s ordinary-language description beside the proposed filing wording so someone can check that the two still mean the same thing.
Avoid the two expensive shortcuts
The first shortcut is copying a competitor’s entire list. Their activities may not match yours, and a long list is not evidence of a well-planned application. The second is deleting genuine activities only to reduce the class count. Both shortcuts put the price ahead of the scope.
Our recommendation is to label activities as current, concretely planned, or speculative before discussing the application. This creates a better conversation about what the filing should cover without pretending every future idea is already a business line.
Classes do not create separate worlds
The Trademarks Act permits confusion even where goods or services fall in different Nice classes. Do not use class numbers alone to dismiss a close name.
Your practical checklist
- List what customers actually purchase, one activity per line.
- Separate goods from services and clarify the delivery model.
- Compare proposed terms with the Canadian manual.
- Check that the wording still accurately describes the business.
- Calculate the filing budget after grouping the proposed scope.
Common questions
Can I just enter a class number?
A number does not describe the actual offer. Prepare the goods/services wording and its grouping rather than treating a broad class heading as the entire application.
Does a pre-approved term mean my name will be approved?
No. Acceptable goods/services wording and registrability of the mark are different questions.
Should I copy all the classes of a similar company?
Use other records as research context, not as a substitute for your own business inventory. Include wording because it fits the intended scope, not because another applicant used it.
Continue learning
By Markframe · General educational information for Canada, not advice on a particular application or dispute. Official sources are linked beside the relevant explanations. Examples are illustrative, not assessed client cases.
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