The Qatar Trademark Office has announced that it will now (as of 15 September 2025) refer to the 11th edition of the Nice Classification for the specification of goods and services.
The practice of generally claiming class headings or stating ‘all goods and services in this class are claimed’ is therefore no longer permitted.
One notable feature is that the change applies immediately! Trademarks currently under examination are therefore affected and will need to be amended where necessary. Please do not hesitate to contact our experts for assistance with this process.
This change was eagerly awaited, as it allows owners who do not compete in the market to coexist in the registrar (for example, sunglasses and mobile phones are claimed within the same famous class 9!). Let us now hope that the examiners’ requirements will lead to a clarification of the term ‘software’ so that different software publishers can also coexist in the Registrar… To be continued.