Classification Guide for Trademark Registration: Class 1

What is the classification of Class 1 in Japan?

Our company manufactures chemicals for the agricultural industry.
Can I apply for a trademark for our product name in Class 1?

If you want to file an application for chemicals for agricultural purposes, class 1 includes “plant growth regulating preparations” and “fertilizers“.
However, if you want to register a trademark for so-called “agricultural chemicals,” you need to be aware that some designated goods belong to Class 1 and some to Class 5.

I see!
So what kind of goods are included in Class 1 and what kind of goods are included in Class 5?

This page explains what goods are included in the category “Class 1”.

Before filing a trademark application in Japan, make sure you know whether your product is included in Class 1 or in another class!

Class 1 covers chemical products.

Class 1 mainly includes chemicals for industrial, scientific and agricultural use.

Chemicals used in the manufacture of goods covered by other classes are also included in Class 1.

How to Select Goods in Class 1

List of main goods in Class 1

The following is a list of the main goods included in Class 1.

You may file a Japanese trademark application designating these goods by Amazing DX.

• chemicals
• glue and adhesives for industrial purposes
• plant growth regulating preparations
• fertilizers
• ceramic glazings
• essential oils for use in manufacture
• higher fatty acids
• nonferrous metals
• non-metallic minerals
• chemical compositions for developing and printing photographs
• reagent paper [not for medical purposes]
• artificial sweeteners for industrial purposes
• flour and starch for industrial purposes
• plastics [raw materials]
• groundwood pulp or chemical pulps for manufacturing purposes

The above list of main goods included in Class 1 is just an example. Let’s take a closer look at what other goods are included in Class 1 and what goods are not.

What should you do if you want to specify such items? (Goods included in Class 1)

Various chemicals and chemical agents

When you want to specify such a product in Amazing DX, please specify “Chemicals“.

For example,

• hydrochloric acid
• oxygen
• calcium
• distilled water
• surface-active agents [surfactants]
• fabric softeners, not for laundry use
• oxidizing agents
• delustering agents
• solvents
• alcohols
  etc.

Products classified as “chemicals” in Class 1 are generally those used as industrial raw materials, for laboratory purposes, or without a specified intended use. Where a product is intended for a specific non-industrial or non-laboratory use, it may be necessary to specify the relevant goods in another Class 1 category or in a class other than Class 1.

For example, the term “surface-active agents [surfactants] within “chemicals” does not include products marketed as soaps or detergents, which fall under Class 3. Class 1 covers surfactants marketed for purposes other than cleaning, as well as surfactants marketed without a specified use.

Specific additives, ingredients, and other materials for manufacturing other products

When you want to specify such a product in Amazing DX, please specify “Chemicals“.

For example,

• pectin for the food industry
• enzymes for the food industry
• vitamins for use in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals
• vitamins for use in the manufacture of cosmetics
• preservatives for use in the pharmaceutical industry
• food preservatives
  etc.

Agricultural Chemicals (Pesticides and Similar Products) and Fertilizers

When you want to specify such goods in Amazing DX, please specify “plant growth regulating preparations” or “fertilizers“.

For example,

Please note that even the same products, such as [urea] or [potassium sulfate], fall under “Chemicals” in Class 1 if they are not marketed as fertilizers—for example, if they are marketed as industrial raw materials, for laboratory use, or without a specified intended use.

Certain Non-Ferrous Metals

[Non-ferrous metals] classified in Class 1 mainly include [rare-earths] and [nuclear fuel materials].

When you want to specify such products in Amazing DX, please specify [Non-ferrous Metals].

For example,

• scandium
• lanthanum
• neodymium
• uranium
• plutonium
• antimony
• radium
• lithium
• mercury
  etc.

Chemicals for Use in Photography, etc.

When you want to specify such a product in Amazing DX, please specify “chemical compositions for developing and printing photographs“.

For example,

• photographic sensitizers
• sensitized paper
• photographic developers
• unexposed photographic films
  etc.

Other goods included in Class 1

When you want to specify such a product in Amazing DX, please specify the item that the product is included in.

For example,

Goods NOT included in Class 1

Unprocessed natural resins and semi-processed resins

Chemical agents for medical and veterinary use

• pectin for pharmaceutical purposes
• iodides for pharmaceutical purposes
• glycerine for medical purposes
• amino acids for veterinary purposes
• enzyme preparations for veterinary purposes
  etc.
  [All Class 5]

Fungicides, herbicides and vermin destroying preparations

• soil-sterilising preparations
• herbicides [weedkillers]
• insecticides
• slug exterminating preparations
• acaricides
  etc.
  [All Class 5]

Herbicides, insecticides, etc. are also used for agricultural purposes, right?
Shouldn’t those goods belong to Class 1?

Among “agricultural chemicals,” fungicides, insecticides, and the like used to control fungi, other animals and plants, viruses, etc. that harm agricultural crops fall within Class 5.
Class 5 is a class of goods related to pharmaceutical preparations.
On the other hand, goods generally referred to as “plant growth regulating preparations”, such as growth promoters and germination inhibitors used to promote or suppress the physiological functions of agricultural products themselves, fall within Class 1.
Chemical agents for preventing diseases in agricultural crops also fall within Class 1.

This means that agents for eliminating things harmful to agricultural crops fall under Class 5, whereas agents that act on the crops themselves or prevent diseases fall under Class 1.

Common metals and their alloys, ores of metal, precious metals and their alloys

The metals that you generally think of when you hear the word “metal” belong to Class 6, which is a classification for metal (base metal) products. In addition, precious metals belong to Class 14.
Non-ferrous metals used as chemical substances in the chemical industry, scientific research, etc. belong to Class 1.
If it has a relation to the chemical industry, it belongs to Class 1, if it has a relation to the metal (base metal) industry, it belongs to Class 6, and if it is a precious metal, it belongs to Class 14.

Other goods NOT included in Class 1

• pastes and other adhesives for stationery or household purposes [Class 16]
• salt for preserving foodstuffs [Class 30]
• straw mulch [Class 31]

File a trademark application in Japan, designating goods in Class 1!

Class 1 is a classification of chemicals for industrial, scientific and agricultural use. If you are a chemical manufacturer, please consider filing a trademark application specifying Class 1 first.

Amazing DX allows you to easily select your designated goods and services online.
First, please select as many goods and services as possible. After the search, it is easy to exclude the goods marked with “×” and search again.

If you are not sure which goods or services to select, please feel free to contact us via chat. Our attorneys specializing in trademarks will be happy to answer your questions.