Trademark Class 99 in India (2026): Meaning, Uses, Registration & Applicability

Search “Trademark Class 99” on Google, and you’ll find plenty of pages treating it like a real category of goods or services. It isn’t one. Trademark Class 99 doesn’t exist under the Nice Classification, the system India actually follows for sorting goods and services into 45 classes. What it really is gets missed by a lot of business owners, and that confusion leads to wrong filing decisions, delayed applications, and sometimes needless expense.

This guide clears up exactly what Class 99 means, when it shows up, and when you should or shouldn’t use it. Get LegalRaasta’s trademark team to check your classification before you file, so you don’t end up guessing your way through it.

Quick Answer: Trademark Class 99 at a Glance

What Is Trademark Class 99 in India?

Class 99 is not a category of goods or services at all. It’s a system label the Indian Trade Marks Registry attaches to an application when it covers more than one class in a single filing.

Say you sell clothing under Class 25 and also run retail stores under Class 35. File both together in one application, and the Registry’s system often tags that combined application as Class 99 for internal tracking. Your actual classes, 25 and 35 in this example, still appear separately on your certificate and in the journal.

Is Class 99 a Real Nice Classification Class?

No, and this is where most of the confusion starts online. India follows the Nice Classification, currently NCL (13-2026), the 13th edition that came into force on 1 January 2026, covering 45 real classes, 34 for goods and 11 for services. Class 99 sits completely outside that numbering. It’s an Indian administrative convenience, not an international standard, and you won’t find it recognised in any other country’s trademark system.

The 13th edition itself moved several familiar products around. Corrective glasses and sunglasses shifted from Class 9 to Class 10, reflecting their medical character, and emergency vehicles moved into Class 12. None of this touches Class 99 directly, but it shows why picking the right real class matters more than ever. Get the underlying class wrong under the new edition, and no amount of bundling under Class 99 will fix that later.

Why Class 99 Appears on Trademark Applications and Certificates

This happens because of how Section 18(2) of the Trade Marks Act, 1999 works. The law allows a single application to cover different classes of goods and services, provided the fee is paid separately for each class included. Rather than generating a separate reference for every class combination, the Registry’s system uses the Class 99 marker as shorthand for “this application spans multiple classes,” while still processing and examining every individual class on its own merits.

Why Did This Confusion Around Class 99 Start?

Fair question, and the answer goes back to how the Registry’s systems were originally built, not to any change in trademark law itself.

Before multi-class applications became common practice, the Registry’s IT infrastructure was designed around one class per filing. Once Section 18(2) opened the door to combined filings, the system needed some way to flag an application as covering more than one class without rebuilding the entire database structure. Class 99 became that workaround, a placeholder number never assigned to any real category, used purely so the software had something to display. It stuck around, and years later, business owners searching online run straight into it, assuming it’s a class like any other.

Trademark Class 99 vs Filing Under Individual Classes

Choosing between one combined filing and separate applications changes your cost, your risk, and how objections get handled later.

When Should You Use Trademark Class 99?

Use it only when your brand genuinely operates across more than one class, not as a shortcut when you’re unsure where your product fits. A bakery selling packaged food under Class 30 and running a café service under Class 43 is a solid case for a combined filing. A single product that clearly belongs to one class doesn’t need this route at all, and forcing it through multi-class filing just adds unnecessary complexity.

Government Fees for Trademark Class 99 Multi-Class Filing

Fees don’t drop just because the classes are bundled into one application, and that surprises a lot of first-time applicants.

A startup filing across three classes under one combined application still pays Rs 13,500 total, exactly what three separate single-class filings would cost. There’s no bundling discount anywhere in the fee schedule.

Trademark Class 99 Renewal and Validity

A registration under a Class 99 filing doesn’t get one combined validity period; each class inside it runs on its own clock, even though they were filed together.

Every class registered, whether filed alone or bundled under Class 99, stays valid for 10 years from the filing date and needs renewal after that. Miss the renewal date, and a 6-month surcharge window follows before the mark gets removed from the register entirely.

A three-class registration under Class 99, renewed late and restored after lapsing, ends up costing Rs 54,000 just for that one step. Tracking renewal dates matters just as much after registration as choosing the right class did before it.

How to File a Trademark Under Class 99

Filing works through the same portal and form as any other trademark application, just with more than one class ticked off.

Step 1: Identify Every Relevant Class

List out each class your goods or services genuinely fall under, using the current NCL 13-2026 edition as your reference point.

Step 2: Complete Form TM-A

File through the IP India portal, selecting every applicable class within the same application.

Step 3: Pay the Combined Fee

Calculate and pay the government fee separately for each class included, based on your applicant category.

Step 4: Track Examination Class by Class

Expect the Registrar to examine each class on its own, so an objection in one doesn’t automatically mean rejection everywhere.

Documents Required for Trademark Class 99 Filing

The paperwork stays largely the same as a standard trademark application, regardless of how many classes get bundled in.

• Applicant’s identity and address proof
• Proof of business incorporation, for companies and LLPs
• Power of Attorney, Form TM-48, if filed through an agent
• User affidavit, if claiming prior use of the mark
• Logo or wordmark representation, as applicable

Common Mistakes with Trademark Class 99

Most problems with Class 99 come from treating it as a strategy rather than what it actually is: a label, and these are the mistakes that show up most often.

• Assuming Class 99 is a genuine, searchable Nice class rather than an internal label
• Filing multiple unrelated classes together purely to save on paperwork, not because the business actually operates in all of them
• Expecting a fee discount for bundling classes into one filing
• Not tracking that an objection in one class can hold up the entire application’s progress
• Skipping professional classification advice and guessing which classes apply

Trademark Class 99 vs Divisional Application

A divisional application is the escape route when a multi-class filing runs into trouble partway through. If one class under your Class 99 filing gets objected to or opposed, you can split that specific class out into its own application, letting the remaining, unaffected classes move forward toward registration without waiting on the disputed one to resolve.

How LegalRaasta Helps

Getting the class right the first time is cheaper than fixing it after an objection lands, and that’s exactly where most businesses need a second pair of eyes. LegalRaasta’s trademark team maps your actual goods and services against the current NCL 13-2026 edition, decides whether a combined filing under Class 99 genuinely suits your brand or whether separate applications are safer, and handles the Form TM-A filing along with tracking every renewal date after registration.

Conclusion

Trademark Class 99 isn’t a shortcut, and it definitely isn’t a real category you’re registering under. It’s simply how India’s Trade Marks Registry marks an application that spans multiple genuine classes under Section 18(2). Used correctly, for a brand that actually operates across categories, it keeps your filing organised under one file number. Used carelessly, it just adds risk without saving a rupee in fees. Talk to LegalRaasta before filing, so your classes are chosen correctly the first time, not fixed after an objection lands.

Frequently Asked Questions About Trademark Class 99

1. Is Trademark Class 99 a Real Trademark Class in India?

No, Trademark Class 99 isn’t a genuine class under the Nice Classification. It’s an administrative label the Trade Marks Registry uses when an application spans multiple classes, and the real classes still appear separately on your certificate.

2. When Does Trademark Class 99 Appear on a Certificate?

Trademark Class 99 shows up whenever a single Form TM-A application bundles more than one class together. The certificate still lists your actual classes underneath, since Class 99 is only the Registry’s internal multi-class marker for tracking.

3. Does Trademark Class 99 Cost Less Than Filing Separately?

Not at all. Trademark Class 99 filings still charge the full government fee for every class included, since Section 18(2) of the Trade Marks Act treats each class separately for fee purposes, regardless of how the application is bundled.

4. Should a Startup Choose Trademark Class 99 Over Single-Class Filing?

It depends on how the brand actually operates. Trademark Class 99 suits businesses genuinely spread across categories, like goods and retail services together, but forcing one unrelated class into it just adds complexity and objection risk later.

5. What Happens If One Class Under Trademark Class 99 Gets Objected?

The whole filing can slow down. Since Trademark Class 99 bundles multiple classes into one application number, an objection or opposition raised against a single class often delays movement on every other class tied to that same filing.

6. Can Trademark Class 99 Be Split Into Separate Applications Later?

Yes, through a divisional application. Trademark Class 99 filings allow splitting once objections or opposition affect only some classes, letting the unaffected classes proceed toward registration while the disputed class gets handled separately on its own timeline.

7. Is Trademark Class 99 Recognised Outside India?

No. Trademark Class 99 is purely an Indian Trade Marks Registry label, not part of the international Nice Classification followed by over 150 countries, including the current NCL 13-2026 edition that took effect on 1 January 2026.

8. Does Filing Under Trademark Class 99 Guarantee Registration in Every Listed Class?

No guarantee exists here. Trademark Class 99 only bundles the filing process into one application, but examination still happens class by class, so any single class can still face objection, opposition, or rejection independent of the rest.

9. Who Should Avoid Trademark Class 99 Filings?

Businesses unsure of their exact category should be cautious about Trademark Class 99. Filings built on guesswork often get reclassified by the Registry later, causing real delays, so confirming the correct Nice Classification class beforehand genuinely saves time.

10. Is Professional Help Necessary for Trademark Class 99 Applications?

It helps considerably. Trademark Class 99 involves several classes moving together under one file, and a wrong classification anywhere in that bundle can jeopardise the entire application, so expert guidance before submission is well worth the cost.