A trademark class 20 is used for furniture and materials that are related to furnishings, and it can be anything that shows you are the source of the furniture or related material. It can also be anything that sets your furniture apart from the competition, such as an image, a phrase, a logo, or a sign.

Filing an application with the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) is a way to gain legal protection from other entities from within the same class that may try to infringe on your trademark. Other entities from different classes and industries may obtain marks that are similar to yours. The likelihood of infringement drops because there's not much chance of confusion.

International Classification of Goods and Services

Established in 1957, the Nice Agreement outlined 45 product classes, and trademarks are registered by the product categories of these classes in most jurisdictions. The World Intellectual Property Organization, also called WIPO, publishes a website that lists the complete set of classifications established by the Nice Agreement. It also contains an alphabetized listing that shows around 8,000 specific types of products and services.

Common Class 20 Examples

Many of the things in class 20 that benefit from intellectual property protection are common furnishing and materials to craft furniture, such as:

  • The furniture itself
  • Plastics
  • Mirrors
  • Meerschaum
  • Whalebone
  • Picture frames
  • Cork
  • Wood
  • Mother-of-pearl
  • Reed
  • Amber
  • Cane
  • Bone
  • Wicker
  • Shell
  • Ivory
  • Horn

Substitutes for any of the composition materials are also included in class 20.

Unusual Class 20 Examples

There seems to always be something unexpected in each trademark class. For trademark class 20, there are quite a few articles. The more unusual trademark class 20 items are:

  • Parts of animals, including the antlers, claws, horns, and teeth
  • Caskets
  • Decorative craft items, like plastic decoys, glitter, and mobiles
  • Toe separators made from foam, such as the kind used when giving pedicures

Things Specifically Excluded from Class 20

There are a few things that WIPO specifically excludes from Class 20. These excluded items are:

  • Furniture that's specifically designed for use in medical offices and laboratories. These items belong in classes nine and ten.
  • Outdoor metal items, non-metal items, textiles, and blinds made from textiles. These things belong in classes six, 19, and 22.
  • Linen bedding, sleeping bags, and eiderdowns. These are class 24 items.
  • Mirrors for non-decorative purposes, such as optical goods, gun-sighting mirrors, dentist's mirrors, rearview mirrors, and mirrors for surgeons. These are class nine, ten, 12, and 13 items.
  • Items made from traditional furniture materials that are classified by function. These belong in the classes 14, 19, 21 and class 27.

Examples of Market-Driven Additions to Trademark Class 20

The USTPO classification guide is updated frequently. This happens because the trademark office has to adjust when the marketplace changes. Some things that have been included in international class 20 since 2009 include:

  • Gun racks that are both free-standing and portable
  • Life-sized human body forms that are designed to use as clothing displays
  • Picture frames that are magnetized
  • Statues crafted from bone, plaster, or ivory.

A Few Other Trademark Classes

Class I is the category for chemicals that are used for industrial, scientific, and photographic purposes. It's also used to classify agricultural, horticultural, and forestry chemicals. It can include artificial resins that haven't been processed yet, manure, the compositions found in fire extinguishers, solutions for soldering, chemicals used in food preservation, lotions for tanning, and even industrial adhesives.

Class II is the category that includes paint, lacquer, varnish, colorant, and raw natural resin. Some other items in this class include coatings that prevent wood from deteriorating and metal from rusting, metal foils, and powder coat paints for artists, painters, printers, and decorators.

Class III includes items for cleaning laundry, surfaces, and personal grooming items. Things like bleach-based cleaners, polishes, abrasives for cleaning, soap, perfume, cosmetics, essential oils, dental care supplies, and hair care products are in this class.

Class IV includes oil and grease for industrial purposes, lubricants, fuel sources, illuminants, candle wicks and candles, wetting and binding solutions, and dust absorbing chemicals.

Class V includes preparations for veterinarians and pharmaceuticals as well as sanitary items for medical needs, food and substances for veterinarian or medical use, and baby food.

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