All goods or services are classified within the International Classes (IC from now on). Goods range from IC classes 1-34, while services are in IC 35-45. Let’s take a closer look at one of these trademark classes: Class 16.
What is international class 16 all about?
Each class has an abbreviated title that gives an idea of what that class is about: IC 16’s abbreviated title is Paper and Printed Articles. But, as with any trademark, there is more to it than that.
Anything that is made of paper or printed is in IC 16, which includes things like posters, journals, greeting cards, art prints, magazines, books, calendars, etc.
What about the titles of the books?
This is a caveat worth exploring a bit. Titles of a single creative work are not protected by trademark law; however, trademark registration may be possible if the title is used in a series of creative works. Let’s dig a little deeper into this.
Individual creative works consist of materials where the content does not change, such as a book, a DVD, downloadable songs, and a movie. Unique creative works do not include regularly published publications, such as magazines, newsletters, brochures, comics, comic strips, or printed teaching materials, because the content of these works changes with each issue.
When it comes to titles for a book series, the logic is the same. While the title remains the same, the content changes. Take a look at the presentation of Ring of Fates, part of The Final Fantasy catalog: “a series of books featuring fictional stories and/or fantasy stories.”
What else is in the international class 16?
The USPTO has 1,515 accepted descriptions that fit IC 16; check them out here.
It seems that with any of these classes of trademarks, there always seem to be an odd item or two and IC 16 is no exception. Here are some items living in IC 16 that seem a bit out of place:
or cd shredders for home or office use
or balloons
o cosmetic pencil sharpener and paper remover
money clips
