October 2, 2018

The World Intellectual Property Office has published an Information Notice announcing that a new version of the eleventh edition of the International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purposes of the Registration of Marks (Nice Classification) will enter into force on 1 January 2019.

The 2019 version includes a number of changes.

WIPO says that it will apply the 2019 version of the Nice Classification to:

• any application for international registration that is received by the Office of origin on or after 1 January 1 2019;
• any application for international registration that it receives on or after 1 January 2019, when the application is received after the two-month time limit referred to in Article 3(4) of the Madrid Agreement.

WIPO says that it will not reclassify the list of goods and services of an international registration that is the subject, after 31 December, of a renewal, subsequent designation or any other change affecting the list.

WIPO will insert the abbreviation “NCL(11-2019)” next to the list of goods and services in notifications sent to designated contracting parties, registration certificates and publications.

Finally, the Madrid Goods and Services Manager on WIPO’s website will be updated to reflect the changes introduced by the 2019 version of the eleventh edition of the Nice Classification. To access the 2019 version, click here.