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A trademark class is the category of goods or services your mark covers, and in Singapore the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) charges per class. The system has 45 classes. Each class that uses pre-approved wording costs S$280 to file, and any class with your own wording costs S$410. This page was checked on .
How do trademark classes work?
IPOS uses the Nice Classification. There are 45 classes: 1 to 34 are goods, such as chemicals, clothing and food, and 35 to 45 are services, such as advertising, software services, education and legal work. When you apply you give the class number and a description of the goods or services in that class.
The scope of your protection follows what you list. IPOS says so plainly: the goods and services in your application decide the scope of the trademark. A mark registered for clothing does not protect a restaurant.
How much does each class cost?
| Fee | Amount per class |
|---|---|
| Filing, all descriptions from the IPOS database | S$280 |
| Filing, any descriptions not from the database | S$410 |
| Acceleration add-on (pre-approved / other wording) | S$200 / S$250 |
| Renewal, on or before expiry | S$480 |
| Late renewal | S$700 |
| Restoration | S$770 |
| Notice of opposition | S$420 |
The S$280 rate needs the application to be filed online through IPOS Digital Hub and every description in that class to come from the classification database. One free-text line makes the class a S$410 class. Fees are per class, so a mark in three classes costs three times the class fee. Agents add their own professional charges. IPOS does not set those.
IPOS's page said the majority of fee updates took effect on and others on . Older blog posts quote lower per-class figures and may be out of date.
How do you choose your classes?
Start from what you do today and what you will do soon. Then check the IPOS classification database on IPOS Digital Hub. Tick all classes, tick every source and type your activity in plain words. The database lists pre-approved descriptions and tells you the class.
- Software or app: services often fall in the services range, goods such as downloadable software fall in the goods range. The database tells you which applies to your wording.
- Online shop: the products you sell sit in their own goods classes. Retail services for those products sit in a separate services class. Many sellers need both.
- Consulting or agency: services classes only, usually one or two.
- Brand with physical products: pick the product classes first, then add services only if you offer them.
Our ecommerce company and SSIC code pages explain how a business activity code is a different thing. An SSIC code is for ACRA. A trademark class is for IPOS. They do not need to match.
Can one application cover several classes?
Yes. IPOS allows one application to name more than one class. You pay per class, so the cost grows with each one. Weigh the cost against the risk. A class you may never use still has to be paid for and renewed, and a registered mark that is not genuinely used in Singapore for an uninterrupted 5 years after registration may be revoked.
What does IPOS check after you file?
IPOS examines whether your mark is distinctive, whether it only describes your goods, and whether it clashes with an earlier mark. If there is a problem you get an examination report with 4 months to respond. If the mark passes, it is published for 2 months so others can oppose. With no objection and no opposition, IPOS says registration takes about 9 months.
A Similar Mark Search before filing is IPOS's own suggestion. A letter of consent from the other owner can sometimes overcome a conflict.
How is this different from your company name?
Registering a company name with ACRA does not give you exclusive rights. ACRA says so itself and points you to IPOS for a trademark. Use company name availability to clear the name with ACRA and then protect the brand here. The full process is on the trademark registration page.
Independent guide
SingaporeCompanySetupGuide.com is not IPOS and cannot file your application. This page explains how classes and fees work from IPOS pages. If you want a trademark agent to choose the classes and file, use the quote form here and we pass your request to agents who work in Singapore. They quote their own professional fee.
Sources
- IPOS, How to register trade marks, https://www.ipos.gov.sg/about-ip/trade-marks/how-to-register/ (45 classes, database, S$280 rate, timeline)
- IPOS, Forms and fees, https://www.ipos.gov.sg/about-ip/trade-marks/forms-and-fees/ (per class fees, effective dates)
- IPOS, Managing trade marks, https://www.ipos.gov.sg/about-ip/trade-marks/managing-trade-marks/managing-trade-marks-overview/ (10 year term, renewal, revocation)
- ACRA, Reserving a business name via Bizfile, https://www.acra.gov.sg/how-to-guides/setting-up-a-local-company/choosing-a-company-name (business name is not a trade mark)
