Publication of Japan-China-Korea Concordance List of Similar Group Codes (Corresponding to Nice Classification 12th edition, version 2024 (NCL12-2024))

March 2024
Trademark Division

The Japan Patent Office (JPO), the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) and the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) are working on a cooperative project to compile concordance lists that indicate the corresponding relationships among the respective, similar group codes used for trademark examination at the JPO, the CNIPA and the KIPO, based on a trilateral agreement the three offices signed.

Similar group codes are the codes assigned to goods and services that are presumed to be similar to each other in trademark examination. The project aims to improve the predictability of examination results, by encouraging users who file trademark applications with the JPO, the CNIPA or the KIPO to utilize the concordance lists when searching for the existence of already registered trademarks.

As a result of the JPO-CNIPA-KIPO cooperation, the JPO is pleased to publish the Japan-China-Korea Concordance List of Similar Group Codes corresponding to Nice Classification, 12th edition, Version 2024 (NCL(12-2024)), which came into effect on January 1, 2024.

The JPO-CNIPA-KIPO will also proceed with this project in the future.

Published materials

Japan-China-Korea Concordance List of Similar Group Codes (Corresponding to Nice Classification, 12th edition, version 2024 (NCL12-2024)) (Excel:1,241KB)

Meanings of Items in the Concordance Lists

• Class:
  Class to which goods or services belong
• Basic No:
  Unique No. of goods and services given to the goods and services in the International Classification
• EN - Goods and Services NCL(12-2024):
  Indication of goods and services in English listed in NCL(12-2024)
• Acceptable or not by the JPO:
  ○ = Indication of goods and services acceptable by the JPO
  × = Indication of goods and services not acceptable by the JPO
• Japanese Translation:
  Translations in Japanese for goods and services corresponding to NCL(12-2024)
• JPO's similar group code:
  Similar group codes assigned to goods and services by the JPO
• Acceptable or not by the KIPO:
  ○ = Indication of goods and services acceptable by the KIPO
  × = Indication of goods and services not acceptable by the KIPO
• Korean Translation:
  Translations in Korean for goods and services corresponding to NCL(12-2024)
• KIPO's similar group code:
  Similar group codes assigned to goods and services by the KIPO
• Acceptable or not by the CNIPA:
  ○ = Indication of goods and services acceptable by the CNIPA
  × = Indication of goods and services not acceptable by the CNIPA
• Chinese Translation:
  Translations in Chinese for goods and services corresponding to NCL(12-2024)
• CNIPA's similar group code:
  Similar group codes assigned to goods and services by the CNIPA

Reference : “Similar Group Code” used at the JPO.

[Last updated 29 March 2024]

Contact

Japan Patent Office Trademark Division E-mail: PA1T90@jpo.go.jp