Classification and reclassification for designs - guidelines superseded 8 February 2012

New Zealand Registered Designs and design applications are presently classified in accordance with the article or articles to which the design is applied using version 6 of the International Locarno Design Classification System, augmented by some subdivisions of some subclasses, designated alphabetically A, B etc.

IPONZ is updating and improving the design search and classification system and will now classify designs using the latest English language version of  Locarno, currently version 9, and all presently published designs including all registered designs will be reclassified according to this version of Locarno.

All pending and future applications will be classified down to at least subclass level. Moreover, a numerical third code level, which is an indication of the article or product of the design, in accordance with the “INDICATION OF GOODS” in the Locarno classification, will generally be recorded as in the examples 1 and 2 below. The digits of this third level code correspond simply to the numerical position of the indication of goods in the English subclass list and are independent of the “Serial No.” as published in the Locarno Classification.

The previous alphabetical subdivision of subclass indications A, B, C etc do not form part of the new classification.

Classification Examples:

1. A design applied to a lollipop will be classified as Class 1 (Foodstuffs), subclass 01 (BAKERS' PRODUCTS, BISCUITS, PASTRY, MACARONI AND OTHER CEREAL PRODUCTS, CHOCOLATES, CONFECTIONERY, ICES), and include the indication of goods 015 for “Lollipops” because “Lollipops” is the 15th entry in the English subclass list. In short: “01.01.015”.

2. A breadboard will be classified as Class 7 (HOUSEHOLD GOODS, NOT ELSEWHERE SPECIFIED), subclass 04 (APPLIANCES AND UTENSILS, HAND-MANIPULATED, FOR PREPARING FOOD OR DRINK), and include the indication of goods 004 for “Bread boards”. In short: “07.04.004”.

Class Criteria Searching:

• Class search results only show registered designs.
• Website users will be able to search designs, utilising wildcards as necessary, to the selectable level of the classification.
• The “CHOOSE” button in the search screen will also be available to assist selecting appropriate class codes.
• The wildcard character “*” can be used to represent any number of characters, or no characters, in the class criteria. The wildcard character “?” can be used to represent one character in the class criteria.
• If the class criteria field is entered at only the class.subclass level the search will return only designs that are classified to the class.subclass level. It will not return any designs that further include a specific indication of goods.

Example:

For the breadboard used in classification Example 2 above, the design will be returned by a search for class 07.04.004 but will not be returned in a search for class 07.04.

• Wildcards must be used to find designs relating to multiple different types of goods within the same class or subclass.

Example:

A search for class 01* will return all designs with a classification relating to foodstuffs. A search for class 01.01* will return all designs that relate to “bakers' products, biscuits, pastry, macaroni and other cereal products, chocolates, confectionery, ices”.

Note that a search for 01.01.* will return all designs that have a class and subclass of 01.01 and a specific indication of goods. It will not return designs that are only classified to the subclass level, i.e. are classified as 01.01 only. To find everything in 01.01, whether or not it has an indication of goods, you must search for 01.01* (i.e. no decimal point before the wildcard character.)

Last updated 8 February 2012