Trademark Registration – Classification Guide　Class 31 in Japan

• How to chose goods/services

I’ve decided to start selling vegetables. First, I’ve prepared a high impact product name and logo for selling the vegetables. I would like to register it as a trademark to prevent others from copying it.

Then, you remember to designate Class 31 that includes “vegetables”. Class 31 includes various goods that are related to raw and unprocessed agricultural and aquacultural produts or natural plants and live animals. Let’s check it.

Considering the future product development of vegetables, it would be better to designate other products in Class 31 as well. If they are in the same class, the cost is the same, but I wonder if we can also designate seedlings of vegetables and saplings in Class 31…?

Class 31 is a classification of unprocessed agricultural or aquacultural products, natural plants and live animals

Class 31 mainly includes unprocessed agricultural or aquacultural products, natural plants and live animals.

Generally, you may easily understand that this class includes the type of goods that are familiar to us in our daily lives such as seedlings, saplings, flowers [natural], edible aquatic animals, live, edible seaweeds, unprocessed and fresh fruit as well as vegetables.

Goods included in Class 31 and Not included in Class 31

List of main goods in Class 31

The following is a list of the main goods included in Class 31.

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

• wreaths of natural flowers for ceremonies or funerals
• fishing baits
• hops
• edible aquatic animals, live
• edible seaweeds, unprocessed
• fresh vegetables, other than tea leaves
• tea leaves, unprocessed
• sugar crops
• fruit, fresh
• malt, not for food
• foxtail millet, unprocessed
• proso millet, unprocessed
• sesame, unprocessed
• buckwheat, unprocessed
• corn [unprocessed grain]
• Japanese barnyard millet, unprocessed
• wheat, barley and oats, unprocessed
• rice, unprocessed
• sorghum, unprocessed
• protein foodstuffs for animal consumption
• animal foodstuffs
• seeds and bulbs
• trees
• grasses [plants]
• turf, natural
• dried flowers
• seedlings
• saplings
• flowers [natural]
• pasture grass
• potted dwarfed trees [Bonsai]
• live mammals, fish [not for food], birds and insects
• silkworm eggs
• cocoons for silkworm breeding
• eggs for hatching
• Urushi tree seeds
• rough cork
• palm tree leaves, unworked

• wreaths of natural flowers for ceremonies or funerals
• fishing baits
• hops
• edible aquatic animals, live
• edible seaweeds, unprocessed
• fresh vegetables, other than tea leaves
• tea leaves, unprocessed
• sugar crops
• fruit, fresh
• malt, not for food
• foxtail millet, unprocessed
• proso millet, unprocessed
• sesame, unprocessed
• buckwheat, unprocessed
• corn [unprocessed grain]
• Japanese barnyard millet, unprocessed
• wheat, barley and oats, unprocessed
• rice, unprocessed
• sorghum, unprocessed
• protein foodstuffs for animal consumption
• animal foodstuffs
• seeds and bulbs
• trees
• grasses [plants]
• turf, natural
• dried flowers
• seedlings
• saplings
• flowers [natural]
• pasture grass
• potted dwarfed trees [Bonsai]
• live mammals, fish [not for food], birds and insects
• silkworm eggs
• cocoons for silkworm breeding
• eggs for hatching
• Urushi tree seeds
• rough cork
• palm tree leaves, unworked

The above list of main goods included in Class 31 is just an example.

Let’s take a closer look at what other goods are included in Class 31 and what goods are not.

What should you do if you want to specify such product ? (Goods included in Class 31)

Goods related to vegetables

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

For example, ……

Goods related to fruits

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

For example, ……

Other goods

Services Not included in Class 31

fresh, chilled or frozen edible aquatic animals (not live)

• ark-shells, not live
• short-necked clams, not live
• sweetfish, not live
• abalones, not live
• cuttlefish, squids and calamaries, not live
• oysters, not live

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　all in【Class 29】

I see, so the same edible aquatic animals is classified differently depending on whether it is alive or not.

Yes. A separate class should be designated for edible aquatic animals “not live” .

Other goods not included in Class 31

• frozen vegetables
• frozen fruits
• processed seafood products

　　　　　　　　all in【Class 29】

Frozen or processed vegetables, fruits and edible aquatic animals are not in Class 31!

File a trademark application in Japan, designating goods in Class 31!

Class 31 is a classification of the goods including unprocessed agricultural or aquacultural products, natural plants and live animals. If you are in the industry of agriculture or fisheries, please consider filing a trademark application specifying Class 31 first.

Amazing DX allows you to easily select your designated goods and services online.

First, please select as many goods 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.

Reference: Japan Patent Office, “Examination Guidelines for Similar Goods and Services (corresponding to the Nice Classification, 11th Edition, Version 2022)”

Supervisor for the article:

HARAKENZO WORLD PATENT & TRADEMARK

大阪法務戦略部長 八谷　晃典

Specialist, attorney, 特定侵害訴訟代理人, Supervisor