IP Office approves 11th Edition of Nice Classification

By Estudio Chaloupka

The National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI, for its Spanish name) of Argentina, has recently approved the latest edition of the International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purposes of the Registration of Marks (Nice Classification), that will enter into force on January 1, 2017, pursuant to INPI resolution P-108 of November 10, 2016, timely published in the Official Gazette.

The latest edition of the classification was defined by the Committee of Experts of the Nice Union during its 26th session in Geneva, earlier this year. It includes significant amendments to fifteen class headings, and the addition of 334 new terms, including several new services, such as: unlocking of mobile phones, under Class 42; dog walking, kimono dressing assistance, and conducting religious ceremonies, under Class 45.

The International Classification of Goods and Services for the Purposes of the Registration of Marks was established by a multilateral treaty called the Nice Agreement, which was concluded at the Nice Diplomatic Conference in 1957. The Nice Agreement provides for the setting-up of a Committee of Experts, conformed by representatives from all countries party to the Agreement. The Committee of Experts decides on all changes to the Classification, in particular the transfer of goods and services from one class to another, the updating of the alphabetical list, and the introduction of necessary explanatory notes.