A trademark is never registered in general. It is registered in a class, and the class decides exactly what the mark protects.
The classes at a glance
Nigeria's system runs 45 classes (1 to 34 for goods, 35 to 45 for services), following the international Nice Classification most countries use. The lower numbers cover physical goods, from foodstuffs to machinery. The higher numbers cover services, from advertising to transport.
A mark can sit in several classes at once. What it cannot do is protect a class nobody applied for.
Goods versus services classes
If you manufacture or sell a physical product, your class comes from the goods side of the list. If you run a service business, a restaurant, a school, a logistics firm, your class sits on the services side instead.
Some businesses need both. A food brand that also runs a chain of restaurants under the same name may need a goods class for its packaged product and a services class for the dining experience.
Why one class doesn't cover your whole business
Registering in one class stops a competitor from using a similar mark inside that class. It does nothing for a class you never applied under, even if the mark is identical.
This catches out businesses that expand after their first filing. A name registered only as a goods mark gives no protection once the business starts selling a related service under the same name.
Picking the class that matches what you sell
Start from what you actually do today, not what you hope to do eventually. An availability search in the wrong class tells you nothing useful about the right one.
If your business genuinely spans two classes, budget for both from the start rather than treating the second as optional. Our guide to filing an application covers the filing steps once you know your class.
What it costs to add another class
Every class carries its own charge. The application fee is ₦16,750 per class, and an optional search beforehand costs ₦2,500 per class.
Two classes cost exactly double one, not a discounted bundle. See the full cost breakdown for the certificate fee that follows later, also charged per class.
Common mistakes
- Assuming a service business needs a goods class, or vice versa. Match the class to what you actually sell, not to habit.
- Registering only the class you use today. A related product or service launched later needs its own class, ideally reserved in advance.
- Treating the fee as a flat, one-off cost. Each class adds its own search, application and certificate fees.
- Copying a competitor's class without checking it fits. Two businesses with similar names can sit in different classes for good reason.
For the rest of this series, see the SME regulators hub.