Trademark Registration – Classification Guide　Class 31 in Japan

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”.

I see, but now that I think about it, how far does “vegetables” go? Is a strawberry a vegetable? Do fruits also fall under Class 31? What about frozen vegetables or vegetable seedlings?

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.

• litter for animals
• wreaths of natural flowers for ceremonies or funerals
• fishing baits
• unprocessed hops
• edible aquatic animals, live
• edible seaweeds, unprocessed; vegetables, fresh
• 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
• animal foodstuffs
• seeds and bulbs
• trees; grasses [plants]; turf, natural; dried flowers; seedlings; saplings; flowers [natural]; pasture grass; Bonsai [potted dwarfed trees]
• 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 designate “fresh vegetables, other than tea leaves”.

For example,

• young soybeans in the pod (Eda-mame), fresh
• pumpkins (marrows and squashes), fresh
• green cabbages, fresh
• cucumbers, fresh
• sweet potatoes, fresh
• green beans (string beans), fresh
• mushrooms (Shiitake), fresh
• white radishes, fresh
• bamboo shoots, fresh
• corn [fresh vegetables]
• eggplants, fresh
• leeks, fresh
• Chinese cabbages (Hakusai), fresh
• parsley, fresh
• spinach, fresh
• Matsutake mushrooms, fresh
• bean sprouts, fresh
• lettuce, fresh
• Japanese edible horseradishes (Wasabi), fresh

Goods related to fruits

When you want to specify such a product in Amazing DX, please designate “fruit, fresh”.

For example,

• almonds, fresh
• strawberries, fresh
• oranges, fresh
• Japanese persimmons, fresh
• cashew nuts, fresh
• chestnuts, fresh
• walnuts, fresh
• coconuts, fresh
• watermelons, fresh
• pears, fresh
• bananas, fresh
• grapes, fresh
• hazelnuts, fresh
• mandarin oranges (tangerines), fresh
• melons, fresh
• apples, fresh
• lemons, fresh

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.