Choosing Classes and Goods Under NICE for Korean Trademarks

One of the first decisions when filing a Korean trademark is which NICE class and which goods/services to designate. The NICE Classification, established by the 1957 Nice Agreement, is the international standard used by 150+ jurisdictions for filing, examination, and searching. KIPO follows it directly under the Trademark Act Enforcement Rules, so the same class structure also drives your foreign-filing strategy.

How NICE is structured

NICE has 45 classes. Classes 1-34 cover goods (chemicals, foods, clothing, electronics), and 35-45 cover services (advertising, transport, education, legal services). One application can cover multiple classes, but every additional class adds an official fee, so it pays to designate only the classes that match your real activity.

Use KIPO's classification search to find class entries and similar-group codes. Class headings give a high-level picture, but for the actual designation, drawing terms from KIPO's gazetted goods database is the safest path — it minimizes office actions over indefinite or non-standard wording.

NICE 13th edition — effective January 2026

NICE 13th edition (NCL 13-2026) entered into force on January 1, 2026 and applies to all applications filed from that date. KIPO examines under the 13th edition from the same date, so any new Korean filing in 2026 must follow the new edition. Existing registrations are not auto-reclassified, but renewals or expansions can still be affected.

A practical example of the 13th-edition changes is eyewear and optical services. Retail sale of glasses moves to class 35, repair and maintenance to class 37, and only optometry / lens prescription stays in class 44. Businesses that bundled all of these in a single class under the 12th edition need to re-design their class layout for new filings.

Picking the right classes — a four-step guide

Class selection should start from your actual business, not from speculative future plans. Designate only goods and services you will use within three years — that is the single most important rule for avoiding non-use cancellations and disputes.

1. Step 1: Identify core categories — list every product or service you sell or license directly.
2. Step 2: Separate channels — manufacturing and retail/online sale belong to different classes (apparel goods 25 ≠ apparel retail 35).
3. Step 3: Adjacent / planned activities — add classes for businesses you will start within 6-36 months; skip distant maybe-projects (non-use risk).
4. Step 4: Similar-group codes — within a class, different similar-group codes change how confusion is judged; check key terms before finalizing.

Ten goods per class — and how to save fees

KIPO uses a baseline of 10 goods per class, with extra fees for additional items. Stuffing a single class with 30 goods will quickly drive the official fee up, while a careful selection of 10 typically captures most of what you actually need to protect — at a stable cost.

The most effective way to reduce fees is to reduce the number of classes, not to trim goods within a class. Each extra class adds its own official fee, so the "better safe than sorry" approach of adding tangential classes often pays poorly. Narrow your filing to one or two core classes and use the 10-goods baseline well.

Common mistakes — pre-filing checklist

• Confusing goods with services: "selling clothing" is class 35 (retail), not class 25 (clothing itself) — totally different rights.
• Filing only class headings: abstract terms like "cosmetics" risk office actions; use KIPO-gazetted standardized terms.
• Over-broadening across classes: five extra classes ≈ 5x official fees. File the core first, expand later.
• Aspirational designations: items you won't actually use within 3 years invite non-use cancellation post-grant.

Frequently asked questions

Can a single application cover multiple classes?

Yes — Korea operates a multi-class filing system. Filing, registration, and renewal fees scale with the number of classes. Since the partial-rejection / re-examination system was introduced in 2023, a refusal in one class no longer blocks registration in the others, so combining core and adjacent classes in one filing is workable.

Does describing goods in more detail expand the right?

More detail does not automatically broaden scope; what matters is using broad-but-specific terms. "Leather bags" can be broader than "handbags, backpacks, tote bags." That said, very abstract wording attracts office actions, so prefer KIPO-gazetted standard terms first.

Can I add classes later as the business grows?

You cannot append classes to an existing registration. You must file a new application for the additional class with the same mark. The new application gets its own filing date — you don't inherit the original priority — so it's safer to file ahead of expansion.