Registering a trademark in the UAE grants you exclusive rights to use the mark on commercial products and services. However, you need to file a trademark under the right classes to ensure faster approval as well as enhanced protection for your brand. The protection granted to your trademark is restricted to the type of goods and services that you indicate on your trademark application. For example, a trademark registered by a chocolate candy brand might not be able to prevent an accounting services company from using a similar mark.
This is why classifying your trademark under an appropriate class is critical for brand owners applying for trademark registration in the UAE. In this blog, we will have an in-depth discussion on the products covered under Class 16 as per the Nice Classification. Trademark agents in the UAE can help brand owners navigate the complexity of the trademark classes under the Nice Classification List. Read ahead to learn more about Class 16:
Products Covered under Class 16
Trademark Class 16 mainly covers paper, cardboard and certain products made of those materials, as well as office essentials. This Class particularly includes the following products:
- Paper knives and paper cutters;
- Cases, covers and devices for holding or securing paper, for example, document files, money clips, holders for chequebooks, paper clips, passport holders, and scrapbooks;
- Certain office machines, for example, typewriters, duplicators, franking machines for office use, pencil sharpeners;
- Painting articles for use by artists and interior and exterior painters, for example, artists’ watercolour saucers, painters’ easels and palettes paint rollers and trays;
- Certain disposable paper products, for example, bibs, handkerchiefs and table linen of paper;
- Certain goods made of paper or cardboard not otherwise classified by function or purpose, for example, paper bags, envelopes and containers for packaging, statues, figurines and works of art of paper or cardboard, such as figurines of paper mâché, framed or unframed lithographs, paintings and watercolours
Similar Goods not Included in Class 16
While selecting a trademark class, you may come across trademark classes that include similar items. This may lead you to select the wrong class for your clothing trademark. Selecting the wrong trademark class will create brand confusion and difficulties in enforcing your trademark properly. We have listed below the goods that do not come under Class 16 so that you can avoid choosing the wrong trademark class:
- Paints (Class 2)
- Hand tools for artists, for example, spatulas, sculptors’ chisels (Class 8)
- Resuscitation mannequins (Class 9)
- Toy models (Class 28)
- Photographic paper (Class 1)
- Abrasive paper (Class 3)
- Paper blinds (Class 20)
- Table cups and plates of paper (Class 21)
- Bed linen of paper (Class 24)
- Paper clothing (Class 25)
- Cigarette paper (Class 34)
Related or Coordinated Classes to Class 16
After choosing your primary class as Class 16, you should move on to select coordinated classes. Coordinated classes are important as most businesses offer additional services or goods that are related to the primary product. Filing your trademark under multiple classes boosts your strategy of trademark enforcement in the UAE as well. For Class 16, the following classes can be selected as coordinated classes:
- Electrical and Scientific Apparatus (Class 9)
- Advertising and Business Services (Class 35)
- Education and Entertainment Services (Class 41)
- Computer and Scientific Services (Class 42)
Protect your Brand through Trademark Agents in the UAE
When registering a trademark in the UAE, applicants must list at least one trademark class in their submission. They should also add relevant coordinated classes for increasing the scope of trademark protection. Business owners who find the process tough and tiring can select the classes with the help of trademark agents in the UAE such as Jitendra Intellectual Property (JIP).
We are one of the leading providers of trademark services in Dubai with years of experience. Our agents are highly qualified and well-versed in the UAE Trademark Law. JIP can help you navigate the complex procedures set out by the UAE Trademark Office so that you can avoid opposition or outright refusals. We can also help you track infringers through our robust trademark watch services in the UAE. If you want to protect your trademark internationally, JIP can help you file a trademark using the Madrid Protocol system. Contact us today for more information on our services.