The International Classification of Goods and Services (also known as the Nice Classification) is the lingua franca of trade mark regimes across the globe. Born out of the 1957 Nice Agreement, the ICGS is today an international system of classifying goods and services when registering trade marks. From sunglasses to fire engines, the ICGS standardises applications for registration and simplifies international trade mark processes.
Classification and identification of the appropriate classes can impact the costs of a trade mark filing project, as well as the ease of enforcement, and overall scope of protection.
With effect from 1 January 2026, Singapore has adopted the 13th Edition of the ICGS.
What are the changes?
- Deletion of some old items, and addition of some new items, of goods/services.
- Some modification of item descriptions, as well as tweaks to the wordings in the Class Headings and Explanatory Notes.
- Most importantly, some items have been re-classified into a different Class compared to the classification under the 12th Edition of the ICGS. Please refer to the Annex for a brief, non-exhaustive outline.
What does this mean for Applicants?
- The 13th Edition will apply to all new trade mark filings and processing from 1 January 2026.
- There will be no changes to the classification of existing applications/registrations and their scope of protection before the effective date.
- Brand owners should review their portfolios to assess if their existing coverage will adequately protect their interests, moving forward, where key items are now reclassified into different classes, and consider filing new applications/or tweaking watching strategies, if appropriate.
Other points to note
- Ensure that new applications identify the correct classes to register under, where applicable.
- When conducting searches concerning affected items, search parameters must be framed to include the class of the items under both the 12th and 13th Editions.
- Specification precedents which are no longer accurate in light of the changes in the 13th Edition can no longer be relied upon.
Connect with us!
Please feel free to reach out to us for more information or if you require any assistance at all.
Do contact Lorraine (Lorraine.Tay@twobirds.com) or Randy (Randy.Hong@twobirds.com) if you have any questions.
Annex: Non-exhaustive list of changes
We have identified some of the changes in the table below, but the full changes in the 13th Edition are reflected here.
| Item | Class | |
| 12th Ed (old) | 13th Ed (new) | |
| Essential oils for use in manufacture | 03 | 01 |
| Aromatherapy oils and creams | 03 | 05 |
| Optical equipment such as spectacles, sunglasses, and contact lenses | 09 | 10 |
| Nose clips for swimmers | 09 | 10 |
| Rescue vehicles such as fire engines, life-saving rafts, and lifeboats | 09 | 12 |
| Tongue scrapers | 10 | 21 |
| Electrically heated clothing, socks and footmuffs | 11 | 25 |
| Patio umbrellas | 18 | 22 |
| Surf skis | 28 | 12 |
| Buttercream icing | 29 | 30 |
| Booking and arranging of access to airport lounges | 39 | 43 |
This article is produced by our Singapore office, Bird & Bird ATMD LLP. It does not constitute legal advice and is intended to provide general information only. Information in this article is accurate as of 21 January 2026.
For further information, please contact:
Lorraine Tay, Partner, Bird & Bird
lorraine.tay@twobirds.com
