The 10th Edition of the Nice Classification of Goods & Services has come into effect on 1 January 2012 and the UAE is one of the many countries to adopt the latest edition.  Applications filed prior to 1 January 2012 will be examined based on the 9th Edition and there will be no need to reclassify a trademark at the time of renewal.

There are significant changes to the classification across several classes and highlighted below are some of the substantive changes:

• Dietary supplements, whether used as supplement to normal diet or to achieve a health benefit, will now be uniformly classified in Class 5.  This removes the requirement to specify “for medical purposes”.  Furthermore, Class 5 now extends to pharmaceuticals and other preparations, including dietary supplements, for veterinary purposes.