What Is Nice Class 45?
Nice Class 45 is the final class in the Nice Classification, and the catch-all for legal services, security services, and personal and social services. It covers law firms and legal advice, intellectual-property and litigation services, security and surveillance, private investigation, and a broad set of services rendered to meet the personal needs of individuals — from dating and social introductions to funeral services, clothing rental, and even pet-sitting.
Because it absorbs services that do not fit the more specific service classes (35-44), Class 45 has a reputation as the "everything else" class. That breadth makes it powerful but also makes accurate identification of goods and services important — the USPTO wants you to describe exactly what you do, not just point at Class 45.
What Class 45 Covers
- Legal services: law firms, attorneys, legal advice, litigation, and IP services
- Security services: guards, alarm monitoring, surveillance, and bodyguard services
- Private investigation and background-check services
- Online identity-theft protection and personal-data monitoring services
- Dating, matchmaking, and social-introduction services
- Funeral, burial, and undertaking services
- Clothing and costume rental
- Personal concierge, house-sitting, and pet-sitting services
- Social and lifestyle services for individuals
The exclusions matter. Business and commercial consulting is Class 35, not Class 45. Financial and insurance services are Class 36. Educational services are Class 41. And critically, the software or app that powers a Class 45 service — a dating app, a security-monitoring platform, an identity-protection tool — is generally Class 9 (downloadable software) or Class 42 (SaaS), separate from the Class 45 service it enables.
Boundary note: A dating app is a two-class product. The social-introduction service users receive is Class 45, while the mobile app itself and any online platform are Class 9 and Class 42. Filing only Class 45 protects the service but leaves the technology unprotected, and vice versa.
The Surname and Descriptiveness Trap in Legal Services
Law firms run into two recurring obstacles. The first is the surname problem. Firms are traditionally named after their founding partners — "Smith & Associates," "Johnson Law Group" — but a mark that is "primarily merely a surname" cannot be registered on the Principal Register without proof of acquired distinctiveness. A name built solely on a common surname is hard to register until it has built up recognition over years of use. The mechanics are covered in our guide on trademarking a surname.
The second is descriptiveness. Names like "Affordable Legal Services" or "Downtown Security" describe the service or location and tend to be refused. The path through, as in every class, is distinctiveness — a coined or arbitrary firm name registers far more easily than a literal description or a bare surname.
Class 45 and the Digital Service Boom
Class 45 has grown well beyond its traditional legal-and-security core. Online identity-theft protection, personal-data monitoring, and digital safety services are now major Class 45 categories, driven by consumer-privacy concerns. Dating and social-networking-style introduction services file here too. In nearly all of these cases, the business is really delivering a Class 45 service through a Class 9/42 technology stack — so the modern Class 45 filing is usually part of a multi-class strategy that includes a software class. Our Class 42 guide covers the technology side.
Pairing Class 45 With Other Classes
- Class 45 + Class 9 / 42: essential for any app- or platform-based service — dating, security monitoring, identity protection.
- Class 45 + Class 35: if the business also offers commercial consulting or runs a marketplace.
- Class 45 + Class 41: where personal services overlap with education or events.
Common Filing Mistakes
- Filing the app in Class 45: the software belongs in Class 9 or Class 42 — Class 45 is the service.
- Bare surname firm names: hard to register without proof of acquired distinctiveness.
- Putting business consulting here: commercial consulting is Class 35, not Class 45.
- Vague identifications: "Class 45 services" is not enough — describe the specific service.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of services are in Class 45?
Class 45 covers legal services, security services, and personal and social services. That includes law firms, attorneys, security guards, alarm monitoring, private investigation, online identity-protection, dating and matchmaking, funeral services, and clothing rental. It is the most miscellaneous of the service classes, absorbing services that do not fit the more specific classes 35 through 44.
Is a dating app in Class 45?
The matchmaking or social-introduction service is in Class 45, but the app itself is not. The mobile application is Class 9 (downloadable software) and any online platform is Class 42 (SaaS). A dating-app company therefore typically files Class 45 for the service plus Class 9 and/or Class 42 for the technology.
Why is it hard to trademark a law firm name?
Two reasons. Many firm names are based on partner surnames, and a mark that is primarily merely a surname cannot register on the Principal Register without proof of acquired distinctiveness. And descriptive names like "Affordable Legal Services" are refused as merely descriptive. A distinctive, coined firm name avoids both problems.
What class are security and identity-protection services in?
Security services — guards, alarm monitoring, surveillance — and online identity-theft and personal-data protection services are in Class 45. If the protection is delivered through software, that software is additionally classified in Class 9 or Class 42, so digital security brands usually file across Class 45 and a technology class.
Search Class 45 Before You File
Legal, security, and personal-services names overlap heavily, and surname and descriptiveness issues make clearance especially worthwhile. Use tmarkmetric to browse registered Class 45 trademarks, see what is already claimed in your field, and search the wider registry before you commit to a firm name, an app brand, or a service identity. Map the Class 45 service and any technology classes you need at the start.