What is design classification?

What is design classification?

Design applications can be filed for the design of an article. This "article" can be anything, from food to buildings, clothing, machines, etc.

In order to make it possible to search for registered designs for each item, items are organized into a system and given alphanumeric characters. This is called the design classification. Japan has its own classification system called the Japanese Design Classification.

For those who are filing a design application for the first time, we will provide easy-to-understand guidance on what the Japanese Design Classification is and how to search for it.

Japanese Design Classification

The Japanese Design Classification focuses on the purpose of the article, and uses concepts such as function as necessary. Each and every article is assigned a single classification.

It is made up of groups, major categories, and minor categories, and design facet terms (D-terms) are assigned to categories below that.

The current Japanese Design Classification is assigned to documents with application dates or publication dates of 2005 or later, while the old Japanese Design Classification is assigned to documents before 2004. Therefore, if you want to search for designs spanning the period before 2004 and after 2005, you will need to use both the old and new classifications.

Image Design Classification

This is a classification given to designs that include images. The classification symbol "W" is added to the end of the subclassification of the Japan Design Classification.

D-Term

This is a subdivision of the Japanese Design Classification based on shapes, patterns, etc., and is composed of groups, major categories, minor categories, and D-term symbols. Some D-terms have expansions depending on the classification, while others do not, and are assigned according to the content of the document.

D-term symbols do not form part of the design classification, but are used in conjunction with it.

List of Japanese design classifications

For details on what specific products and services are included in each category, please check the Japan Patent Office's website.
Japan Design Classification Related Information

For reference, as of July 2022, the overview of each category is as follows:

グループ
Group A (manufactured foods and luxury items)	A0	Other manufactured foods and luxury items not included in A1
	A1	Manufactured foods and luxury items
Group B (clothing and personal items)	B0	Other clothing and personal belongings not included in B1 to B9
	B1	clothes
	B2	Clothing
	B3	Personal belongings
	B4	Bags or portable pouches, etc.
	B5	footwear
	B6	Smoking equipment and lighters
	B7	Cosmetic tools or barber tools
	B9	Clothing and personal items General-purpose parts and accessories
Group C (Daily necessities)	C0	Other daily necessities not included in C1 to C7
	C1	Bedding, floor coverings, curtains, etc.
	C2	Upholstery
	C3	Cleaning equipment, laundry equipment, etc.
	C4	Household health and hygiene products
	C5	Eating and drinking containers or cooking containers
	C6	Eating and drinking utensils and cooking equipment
	C7	Celebration and condolence items
Group D (Housing Equipment)	D0	Other housing equipment not included in D3 to D9
	D3	Lighting fixtures and lighting equipment
	D4	Heating/cooling machines or air conditioning ventilation equipment
	D5	Kitchen equipment and sanitary equipment
	D6	Furniture and tools for organizing your home
	D7	Furniture
	D9	General-purpose parts and accessories for housing equipment
Group E (hobby entertainment goods and athletic goods)	E0	Other hobby and recreational goods and sports goods not included in E1 to E4
	E1	toy
	E2	Amusement and entertainment products
	E3	Athletic equipment
	E4	Musical instrument
Group F (office supplies and sales items)	F0	Other office supplies and sales items not included in F1 to F5
	F1	Teaching tools, calligraphy and painting supplies, etc.
	F2	Writing implements, office supplies, etc.
	F3	Office paper products, printed matter, etc.
	F4	Wrapping paper, packaging containers, etc.
	F5	Advertising materials, display materials and product display materials
Group G (Transportation or material handling machinery)	G0	Other transport or handling machinery not belonging to G1 to G4
	G1	Transport, lifting or cargo handling machinery and equipment
	G2	vehicle
	G3	Ship
	G4	aircraft
Group H (Electrical and electronic machinery and equipment, and communication machinery and equipment)	H0	Other electrical and electronic equipment and communication equipment not falling under H1 to H7
	H1	Basic Electrical Elements
	H2	Rotating electrical machines, power distribution equipment
	H6	Electronic information processing and storage devices
	H7	Electronic information input/output devices
J Group (General machinery and equipment)	J0	Other general machinery and equipment not included in J1 to J7
	J1	Measuring instruments, measuring instruments and surveying instruments
	J2	clock
	J3	Optical Instruments
	J4	Office machinery and equipment
	J5	Vending machines and automated service machines
	J6	Safety equipment, etc.
	J7	medical equipment
K Group (Industrial machinery and equipment)	K0	Other industrial machinery and equipment not included in K1 to K9
	K1	Tools and equipment
	K2	Fishing machinery and equipment
	K3	Agricultural machinery and equipment, mining machinery, construction machinery, etc.
	K4	Food processing machines, etc.
	K5	Textile and sewing machines
	K6	Chemical machinery and equipment
	K7	Metal processing machines, wood processing machines, etc.
	K8	Power machinery and equipment, pumps, compressors, blowers, etc.
	K9	General-purpose parts and accessories for industrial machinery and equipment
L Group (Building and civil engineering supplies)	L0	Other buildings and civil engineering construction supplies not included in L1 to L7
	L1	Temporary construction supplies
	L2	Civil engineering structures and civil engineering supplies
	L3	Buildings, outdoor equipment, etc.
	L4	Building components
	L6	Interior and exterior building materials
	L7	Building structural materials, frame materials, etc.
Group M (other basic products not included in A to L)	M0	Other basic products not included in M1 to M3
	M1	Fabrics, boards, strings, etc.
	M2	Wiring, piping pipes, pipe joints, valves, etc.
	M3	Screws, nails, opening and closing hardware, fasteners, etc.
N group (items that do not belong to other groups)	N0	Other items not belonging to A0~M3
	N3	Graphical User Interface
W (Image Design Classification)	W	image

For example, the Japanese design classification for a vacuum cleaner is "C3-4100." It is in the C group (household goods) and is classified as C3 (cleaning tools, laundry tools, etc.), with a group of "C," a major category of "3," and a minor category of "4100." There is no D term.

The icon for an app that you can download to your smartphone is "N3-12W". It is N3 (Graphical User Interface) in the N group (items that do not belong to other groups), with the group being "N", the major category being "3", and the minor category being "12". At the end is the D-term "W" which indicates that it is an image design.

How about a cylindrical packaging container with a flip-off lid and a floral pattern?

It looks like F4 (wrapping paper, packaging containers, etc.) in the F group (office supplies and sales supplies) would be applicable. Since subclass 712 is a cylindrical packaging container, the Japanese Design Classification would be "F4-712". From here, since the packaging container has a floral pattern, the D term "AA" is added to the end, and since it has a detachable lid, the D term "BBB" is added to the end. In other words, if we add the D terms, "F4-712AA" and "F4-712BBB" would be applicable.

International Design Classification

It is established under the Locarno Convention and is administered by the International Bureau of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

Like the Japanese Design Classification, one classification is assigned to each design, but the Japanese Design Classification is characterized by having fewer classification options and being rougher.

List of International Design Classifications

The International Design Classification has only two categories: classes and subclasses, as shown below. Note that we have omitted the contents of the subclasses below Class 2 here.

Classes	sub Classes
Category 1 (food)	1	Bakery products, biscuits, pastries, pasta and other cereal products, chocolates, confectionery, ices
	2	Fruits, vegetables and their processed products
	3	Cheese, butter and butter substitutes, other dairy products
	4	Meat (including pork products), fish
	5	Tofu and tofu products
	6	feed
	99	Other
Category 2 (clothing and sewing accessories)	1	Underwear, ladies' underwear, corsets, brassieres, nightwear
	2	clothing
	3	Hat
	4	Footwear, socks and stockings
	5	Ties, scarves, neckerchiefs and handkerchiefs
	6	gloves
	7	Sewing accessories and clothing accessories
	99	Other
Category 3 (travel equipment, cases, parasols and other personal items not falling under any other category)
Category 4 (Brush products)
Class 5 (Textile fibres, artificial and natural sheet materials)
Category 6 (Indoor items)
Class 7 (Household goods, not otherwise specified)
Class 8 (Tools and hardware)
Class 9 (Packaging containers and receptacles for transporting or handling goods)
Class 10 (Clocks, Watches and Other Measuring, Checking and Signalling Instruments)
Class 11 (Decorative items)
Class 12 (Means of transport or lifting)
Class 13 (Appliances for the production, supply or transformation of electricity)
Class 14 (Recording, telecommunications or data processing equipment)
Class 15 (Machinery, not otherwise specified)
Class 16 (Photographic, cinematographic and optical instruments)
Class 17 (Musical Instruments)
Class 18 (Printing machines and office machines)
Class 19 (Stationery and office equipment, art materials and teaching materials)
Class 20 (Sales and advertising equipment, signs)
Class 21 (Playthings, toys, tents and sports equipment)
Class 22 (Weapons, pyrotechnics, articles for hunting, fishing and pest control)
Class 23 (fluid supply equipment, sanitary, heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment, solid fuels)
Class 24 (Medical and Laboratory Equipment)
Class 25 (Building units and building components)
Class 26 (Lighting equipment)
Class 27 (Tobacco and smoking supplies)
Class 28 (Medicines and cosmetics, toiletry supplies and equipment)
Class 29 (Fire prevention, accident prevention and rescue equipment and facilities)
Class 30 (Items for caring for and keeping animals)
Class 31 (Machinery and appliances for preparing food and drink, not elsewhere specified)
Class 32 (Graphic symbols and logos, surface patterns, decorations)

[Source] "International Design Classification Japanese Translation" and "Locarno (13th edition) - (current) Japanese Design Classification Comparison Table" posted on the Japan Patent Office website

For example, the international design classification for a vacuum cleaner is "15-05," which means the class is "15" and the subclass is "5."

スマートフォンにダウンロードするようなアプリのアイコンは「14-04」です。円柱型の包装用の容器で、パカッと取り外せる蓋がついており、花柄の模様が付されているものは、「09-01」「09-02」「09-03」「09-04」あたりの国際意匠分類が複数付されることになるでしょう。

Thus, the International Design Classification consists of just two numbers.

How to find out the design classification of your design

You can use J-PlatPat or check the design classification definition card.

J-PlatPat is a database provided by the National Center for Industrial Property Information and Training (INPIT). The design classification definition card is a document posted on the Japan Patent Office website that contains detailed definitions of the Japanese design classification.

J-PlatPat design classification search

As the first method,J-PlatPat design classification searchYou can use the page.

For example, if you want to know which category "wallet" falls into, try searching as follows:

• Enter the word "wallet" in the keywords
• Press the search button

This will display a list of Japanese design classifications that include the word "wallet."

The Japanese Design Classification is written in the second column from the left of the search result table. The names of the items included in this classification are in the column to the right. The D-terms are in the second column from the right. The contents of the D-terms are also explained to the right.

This tells us that the Japanese design classification for "wallet" is "B4-4." If it were a folding wallet, it would also have the D-term "B4-4B."

J-PlatPat design search

The second method isJ-PlatPat design searchYou can use the page.

• Check the National Publication
• Enter "wallet" in the field for the article related to the design/article name/original article name.
• Press the search button
• If there are too many search results, try narrowing them down by publication date, application date, registration date, etc.

This will display designs that include "wallet" in the article name. "B4-4" displayed here is the Japanese design classification.

This "B4-4" is clickable, and by clicking it you can check the details of this Japanese design classification.

Design Classification Definition Card

The second method isDesign Classification Definition Card published on the website of the Japan Patent OfficeIt is possible to use.
(2) Please check the “Table XNUMX: List of Classification Definition Cards for the Japanese Design Classification” of the Japanese Design Classification.

• Look for groups that are likely to include "wallet."
• In this case, focus on Group B (clothing and personal items) and check the design classification definition card for Group B. (This is the PDF that says "B (PDF: 〇KB).")
• I guess that the "wallet" is probably a "portable bag (B4)."
• Check the B4 design classification definition card. There is a wallet in B4-4. Next, check the D-terms for wallet shapes such as concrete type and folding type, which are also listed.

This takes longer than searching J-PlatPat, but it allows you to find out the design classification of the item you are looking for.

When you are unsure about design classification

Design classifications are important when conducting searches. When investigating whether similar items have prior similar designs, the prior designs are narrowed down by design classification. Therefore, understanding the correct design classification is essential when formulating an application strategy.

At our firm, we determine the design classification to be searched, and then conduct a detailed investigation to determine whether there are any designs that may hinder registration, and then report back to you. After the actual search, we will promptly file the application, and will consistently support our clients in obtaining the rights to their designs, from the application to registration, and even management after registration.

If you have any questions about design searches and design applications, please feel free to contact us using the inquiry form.