When you apply to register your name or brand with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), you'll have to choose specific trademark classes to register under.
There are 34 classes related to goods or products and 11 classes for services, so choosing the right class can be tricky.
In this article, we'll cover Trademark Class 14, which broadly protects all good related to jewelry.
What Is a Trademark?
Starting a business takes a lot of hard work.
To make sure that people recognize your product after you take the time and effort to develop your goods or services, you should consider filing for a trademark.
A trademark is an image, logo, design, slogan, etc. that establishes you as the origin for your good or service and sets you apart from your competitors.
Basically, your trademark is a tool to create your brand and to become recognizable to your customers.
There are a lot of benefits to registering your trademark.
By filing an application with the USPTO, you are expanding protections for your brand.
By registering, you will gain protections outside of your original location and in e-commerce.
You can also bring legal action against parties that have infringed on your trademark rights.
International "Nice" Trademark Classes
The USPTO follows the general guidelines used by most countries worldwide.
These guidelines are derived from the international "Nice" agreement and codified by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
These 45 different trademark classes effectively categorize brands into different areas of focus.
For example, this is why a trademark for "Delta Airlines" can exist at the same time as "Delta Faucets," since they market in distinctively different areas.
Sometimes a business might need to register under more than one class to gain full protections.
However, you must justify each class to the USPTO or they'll simply reject your application.
Registering a Class 14 Trademark
You can submit your application for a Class 14 trademark on the USPTO's website, however, there are several things you'll want to do first.
Generally speaking, you'll want to start the application process by confirming that your mark actually fits into a specific class.
Then, you'll want to perform a thorough trademark search to make sure you aren't infringing on someone else's brand.
What Is a Class 14 Trademark?
Class 14 protects goods such as precious metals and their alloys, jewelry, precious and semi-precious stones, and horological and chronometric instruments.
Precious Metals and Alloys
Precious metals and alloys are often used to make jewelry. The bulk of Class 14 is composed of these components.
Some examples include products such as gold, gold thread, ingot of precious metals, palladium, platinum, silver, and various alloys used to make jewelry and other fine goods.
Jewelry
In addition to the metals used to make jewelry, jewelry itself is also included in Class 14.
Some examples of jewelry included in this class are tie accessories, key rings and key chains, jewelry charms, bracelets, amulets, badges, rings, necklaces, earrings, medals, and pins.
Precious and Semi-Precious Stones
Just like metals and their alloys, precious stones are also in Trademark Class 14. Some examples include diamonds, pearls, amber, and other various precious and semi-precious stones.
Horological and Chronometric Instruments
Most clocks and watches also fall under this category.
For example, all watches, watch components, alarm clocks, stopwatches, and sundials can be found in Class 14.
Other Goods
In addition to the products we listed above there are also some related items which can be found in this class.
Some of these related goods include ivory, figurines made from precious metals, prayer beads, and collectible coins.
Related Classes
Like all trademark classes, Class 14 includes several products which fall under multiple classes, as well as some odd exceptions to what we mentioned above.
Specifically, many products found in Class 14 can also be found in Class 2 (metal foils and powder for arts) and Class 6 (common metal goods in raw or lightly processed forms).
In a similar manner, there are some items which instead appear in other classes.
Some common items which do not appear in Class 14 include:
- Smartwatches (Class 9)
- Works of art not made of precious metals (Class 21 for porcelain for example)
- Charms not used in jewelry or key rings (Class 26)
Conclusion
Trademark Class 14 is generally for components of jewelry making and time measuring instruments.
If your products use precious metals and their alloys, precious and semi-precious stones, or is a piece of jewelry or an instrument for telling time, it most likely belongs in this class.
If you aren’t sure if your product qualifies for this class or one of the related classes, don’t hesitate to contact an attorney.
