Examples and Explanation of Trade Mark Class 30
Emily Young
Your intellectual property (IP) is your business’ most important asset. It is the very core of your brand, making it essential to take the necessary steps to protect it. Obtaining a trade mark is one way to protect your IP. The trade mark application process consists of several steps, including nominating the most relevant trade mark class or classes. Trade mark classes are a way to categorise your goods or services. Choosing a trade mark class is an essential part of the application process. Depending on the nature of your business, you may wish to classify your trade mark under more than one class. To help you navigate trade mark classes, this article will take you through what trade mark classes are, why they are important and give you an explanation of trade mark class 30 and its use.
What Are Trade Mark Classes?
When you apply to register a trade mark, you must select a class that you will use your trade mark in. These classes refer to categories of different goods and services. Australia uses the internationally recognised Nice registration system, which divides 45 classes into 34 goods and 11 services.
When making your trade mark application, the trade mark class you select is important. This is because your trade mark is only protected under the goods and services classes you have chosen. For example, suppose your trade mark is registered under class 25 (which covers clothing, footwear and headgear). In that case, you will not be able to enforce your trade mark over infringement in class 34 (which covers tobacco and other smoking items).
To search the full list of trade mark classes available for your trade mark, you can search the Nice classification system.
What Is Included in Trade Mark Class 30?
Trade mark class 30 relates to food products primarily of plant origin. It is a very broad trade mark class. For examples of what is included in trade mark class 30, refer to the table below:
| Baking ingredients | Almond paste Cooking salt Baking powder Baking soda Flour Yeast Sugar |
| Savoury foods | Cereal snacks Meat pies and pasties Chips Noodles Dumplings |
| Rice products | Rice cakes Rice pudding |
| Bread products | Bread rolls Burger buns Biscuits, cookies Dough Breadcrumbs Waffles |
| Chocolate and related foods | Chocolate milk Chocolate covered nuts Cocoa powder Chocolate mousse Cake frosting |
| Coffee products | Iced coffee Coffee Coffee flavouring |
| Tea products | Tea Iced tea |
| Condiments | Vinegar Sauces Mustard Honey |
What Is Not Included in Trade Mark Class 30?
Trade mark class 30 is broad, making it difficult to distinguish what could fit into it. However, you should not classify certain key products under trade mark class 30. For example, the following should not be classified under class 30:
- salt for the preservation of items other than food;
- medicinal teas or other diet food or drinks;
- baby food;
- animal food; and
- raw cereal.
While this list is non-exhaustive, it provides some guidance on what is not considered suitable for trade mark class 30.
Related Trade Mark Classes
If your product seems to fit under trade mark class 30, but you wish to ensure your trade mark is fully protected, it might be helpful to consider similar, related classes for your product. For example, class 31 relates to grain and agriculture, and class 43 relates to food services.
You can apply for a trade mark under more than one class. However, it is important to note that you will have to pay for registration per trade mark class. This makes it important to only select the most relevant trade mark classes for your business needs.
Key Takeaways
To obtain the best and most accurate trade mark protection for your goods and services, you must choose the best class for your business. Trade mark class 30 may be appropriate for your goods if it is a:
- baking ingredient;
- savoury food;
- rice product;
- bread product;
- chocolate item;
- coffee-related good;
- tea related good; or
- condiment.
If you need help determining the best trade mark class for your goods or service or need more general trade mark assistance, get in touch with our experienced IP lawyers. They can be contacted on 1300 657 423 or by filling out the form on this page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Trade mark classes refer to the categories of goods and services available to classify your trade mark. There are 45 classes of goods and services. These classes are important because they determine the scope of your trade mark protection, with your trade mark only being protected under the class of goods or services you register under. Once you have applied for your trade mark, you will not be able to increase your trade mark’s scope by additional classes.
This is a broad trade mark class covering many food products primarily of plant origin. For example, trade mark class 30 might be relevant to your business if your trade mark is for a good that is a baking ingredient, rice or bread product, tea or coffee product, condiment, chocolate item, or savoury food item.