As of January 2012 the 10° Nice Classification for the products and services concerning the trademarks has come into effect. As is well known, when a trademark application is filed it is necessary to choose the products and the services that the trademark will cover. The choice is very important, since it determines the limit for the protection and the exclusive right for the filed trademark.
Starting January 2012, the new classification is being adopted by the offices, so when an application is filed, it’s necessary to take this classification into account in order to avoid mistakes. The classification is voluminous and rather complex and for this reason objections are often raised by the Office. This happens even when everything was taken into account, especially for products or services that ambiguously fit two possible classifications. Both the OHIM and the WIPO have taken measures that allow the correct classification through the use of keywords. These are very useful tools, at least for a first orientation.