Jan 06 2017

The International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purposes of the Registration of Marks was established by the Nice Agreement concluded on June 15, 1957. The 11^th Edition of the Nice Classification, as it also is known, came into effect on January 1, 2017. Comprised of 34 classes of goods and 11 classes of services, the Nice Classification is available electronically via the website of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) which administers the Agreement.

Though the Nice Agreement was tabled in Canadian Parliament in January 2014 and implementing legislation was passed in June of the same year, it has not been brought into force yet in Canada. This is not expected to occur until sometime in 2018 or 2019. In the meantime, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) is encouraging and accepting voluntary classification of new and pending applications as well as existing registrations.

Please contact us if you have any questions about classification of goods and services or if you would like to classify the goods and services covered in your application or registration.

Author: Janet Fuhrer (former partner)

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Tags: CIPO, Nice Agreement, Nice Classification System, Trademarks