For many business, registering a trademark is a simple and effective way to protect their goods and services. The Australian Government Intellectual Property agency administers intellectual property rights and legislation relating to patents, trademarks, designs and plant breeder’s rights. It allows businesses to trademark their goods, services or brand through an online application process and search for existing trademarks in the registered database.
If you need help navigating the trademark pick list, LawPath’s experienced trademark attorneys can help you with our simple online application process.
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What is the IP Australia Pick List?
In order to apply for a trademark, a business must provide a description of the goods or services the trademark will be used for and identify them into the classes provided by the Intellectual Property Goods and Services Pick List. The pick list has over sixty thousand entries and is subdivided into various different classes to comprehensively cover a large number of goods and services.
Classes
The goods and services under the pick list are divided into 45 classes. Most goods and services are covered under the pick list but it is not exhaustive. Before an applicant proceeds to file their trademark application, it is important that they have carefully decided which class they want to file their trademark. This avoids classification errors which may prevent the trademark from being registered and cause unnecessary delay for the application.
What class is right for me?
When deciding what class a trademark application falls under, it is important to consider what is the nature of your business. In order for a trademark to offer continued protection to your goods and services, an application should take into account whether the class is broad enough to cover the specific products and services that the business will provide.
For example, a trademark application for scarves under Class 25 would cover a broad range of scarf designs and materials. This would create flexibility and allow the business to continue to grow and evolve their existing designs.
Conclusion
Choosing the right pick list class is essential to enable a trademark’s continuing protection over a business’ goods or services. With over thousands of products and services covered under the 45 classes, we recommend seeking advice from an experienced trademark attorney when filling out your application.
Looking to apply for a trademark? LawPath has access to highly qualified trademark attorneys that can help you with your application. Contact a LawPath consultant on 1800LAWPATH to learn more about customising legal documents, obtaining a fixed-fee quote from our network of 600+ expert lawyers or any other legal needs.
