What Trademark Class 15 Covers
Class 15 includes mainly musical instruments, their parts and their accessories.
This class includes, in particular
- mechanical musical instruments and their accessories, for example, barrel organs, mechanical pianos, intensity regulators for mechanical pianos, robotic drums
- musical boxes
- electrical and electronic musical instruments
- strings, reeds, pegs and pedals for musical instruments
- tuning forks, tuning hammers
- colophony (rosin) for stringed musical instruments
What Class 15 Does Not Cover
These look close to Class 15 but are classified elsewhere. Filing them here draws an objection, so pick the class named in brackets.
- apparatus for the recording, transmission, amplification and reproduction of sound, for example, electric and electronic effects units for musical instruments, wah-wah pedals, audio interfaces, audio mixers, equalisers being audio apparatus, subwoofers (Class 9)
- downloadable electronic sheet music (Class 9), printed sheet music (Class 16)
- downloadable music files (Class 9)
- musical juke boxes (Class 9)
- metronomes (Class 9)
- musical greeting cards (Class 16)
Goods in Trademark Class 15
Use these wordings in the specification of your application. Each carries its basic number in the Nice list. A description outside the list is allowed, but it must be specific enough for the Registry to classify.
| Basic No. | Goods |
|---|---|
| 150001 | accordions |
| 150051 | bagpipes |
| 150090 | balalaikas [stringed musical instruments] |
| 150082 | bamboo flutes |
| 150011 | bandonions |
| 150091 | banjos |
| 150012 | barrel organs |
| 150013 | basses [musical instruments] |
| 150064 | bellows for musical instruments |
| 150005 | bow nuts for musical instruments |
| 150004 | bows for musical instruments |
| 150054 | bridges for musical instruments |
| 150016 | buccins [trumpets] |
| 150017 | carillons [musical instruments] |
| 150035 | cases for musical instruments |
| 150018 | castanets |
| 150015 | catgut for musical instruments |
| 150050 | chin rests for violins |
| 150023 | clarionets |
| 150071 | clarions |
| 150093 | colophony for stringed musical instruments / rosin for stringed musical instruments |
| 150026 | concertinas |
| 150009 | conductors' batons |
| 150031 | cornets [musical instruments] |
| 150032 | cymbals |
| 150027 | double basses |
| 150098 | drum machines |
| 150059 | drumheads / skins for drums |
| 150066 | drums [musical instruments] |
| 150010 | drumsticks |
| 150044 | electronic musical instruments |
| 150036 | flutes |
| 150037 | gongs |
| 150039 | guitars |
| 150086 | handbells [musical instruments] |
| 150014 | harmonicas |
| 150040 | harmoniums |
| 150042 | harp strings |
| 150041 | harps |
| 150019 | hats with bells [musical instruments] |
| 150030 | horns [musical instruments] |
| 150007 | horsehair for bows for musical instruments |
| 150081 | huqin [Chinese violins] |
| 150045 | intensity regulators for mechanical pianos |
| 150038 | Jews' harps [musical instruments] |
| 150020 | kettledrum frames |
| 150069 | kettledrums |
| 150024 | keyboards for musical instruments |
| 150077 | keys for musical instruments |
| 150046 | lyres |
| 150095 | mallets for musical instruments |
| 150049 | mandolins |
| 150092 | melodicas |
| 150034 | mouthpieces for musical instruments |
| 150078 | music rolls |
| 150080 | music stands |
| 150087 | music synthesizers |
| 150052 | musical boxes |
| 150025 | musical instruments |
| 150099 | musical instruments for children |
| 150065 | mutes for musical instruments / dampers for musical instruments |
| 150043 | oboes |
| 150056 | ocarinas |
| 150057 | organs |
| 150060 | pedals for musical instruments |
| 150021 | pegs for musical instruments |
| 150079 | perforated music rolls |
| 150061 | piano keyboards |
| 150063 | piano keys |
| 150062 | piano strings |
| 150008 | pianos |
| 150083 | pipa [Chinese guitars] |
| 150048 | plectrums / picks for stringed instruments |
| 150003 | reeds |
| 150094 | robotic drums |
| 150089 | saxophones |
| 150084 | sheng [Chinese musical wind instruments] |
| 150097 | singing bowls |
| 150088 | stands for musical instruments |
| 150006 | sticks for bows for musical instruments |
| 150096 | straps for musical instruments |
| 150029 | stringed musical instruments |
| 150028 | strings for musical instruments |
| 150085 | suona [Chinese trumpets] |
| 150067 | tambourines |
| 150068 | tom-toms |
| 150055 | triangles [musical instruments] |
| 150070 | trombones |
| 150072 | trumpets |
| 150033 | tuning forks |
| 150002 | tuning hammers |
| 150053 | turning apparatus for sheet music |
| 150073 | valves for musical instruments |
| 150074 | violas |
| 150075 | violins |
| 150058 | wind pipes for organs |
| 150076 | xylophones |
| 150022 | zithers |
A slash separates alternative wordings of the same item. An asterisk marks an item whose name also appears in other classes, depending on its purpose.
Filing a Trademark in Class 15
The Trade Marks Registry classifies goods and services by the current edition of the Nice Classification (rule 20, Trade Marks Rules, 2017). One application in Form TM-A can cover Class 15 alone or several classes together; the fee is charged for each class.
| Applicant | E-filing, per class | Physical filing, per class |
|---|---|---|
| Individual, start-up or small enterprise | ₹4,500 | ₹5,000 |
| Any other applicant | ₹9,000 | ₹10,000 |
Government fee for Form TM-A under the First Schedule to the Trade Marks Rules, 2017. Professional charges are separate.
- Search the mark in Class 15 and in the related classes before filing.
- Describe the goods in the words of the list wherever they fit.
- File in every class you trade in; protection does not extend to a class you left out.
Official documents behind this page
- WIPO, Nice Classification, 13th Edition, Version 2026In force from 1 January 2026: class heading, explanatory note and the list of goods and services. Source: World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), which holds the copyright in the Classification.
- Trade Marks Rules, 2017, rule 20Goods and services are classified as in the current edition of the Nice Classification published by WIPO.
- Trade Marks Rules, 2017, First Schedule, entry 1Fee for Form TM-A, payable for each class.
- Trade Marks Act, 1999, section 18(2)One application may cover different classes, with the fee payable for each class.
Disclaimer: This guide is general information based on the law and notifications in force when it was last updated. It is not professional advice for your case — rates, thresholds and due dates change, so check the current position with the official source before you act on it.