The "Everything Else" Class
Class 45 absorbs whatever doesn't fit the more specific service classes numbered 35 through 44, which gives it a reputation as the catch-all of the Nice system. It covers law firms and legal advice, intellectual-property and litigation services, security and surveillance, private investigation, and a broad set of services meeting the personal needs of individuals — dating and social introductions, funeral services, clothing rental, even pet-sitting. That breadth makes it powerful but also makes precise identification of services important; the USPTO wants an exact description of what you do, not a vague pointer at the class number.
Everything the Class Reaches
- Legal services: law firms, attorneys, legal advice, litigation, IP services
- Security services: guards, alarm monitoring, surveillance, bodyguard services
- Private investigation and background-check services
- Online identity-theft protection and personal-data monitoring
- Dating, matchmaking, and social-introduction services
- Funeral, burial, and undertaking services
- Clothing and costume rental
- Personal concierge, house-sitting, and pet-sitting services
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) or Class 42 (SaaS), separate from the service it enables.
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.
Why Law Firm Names Are So Hard to Register
Two obstacles recur constantly. The first is the surname problem: firms are traditionally named after founding partners — "Smith & Associates," "Johnson Law Group" — but a mark that is "primarily merely a surname" cannot register on the Principal Register without proof of acquired distinctiveness, which takes years of use to build. The mechanics are covered in our guide on trademarking a surname. The second is ordinary descriptiveness: names like "Affordable Legal Services" or "Downtown Security" describe the service or location and get refused. A coined or arbitrary firm name avoids both problems at once.
Privacy Services Have Quietly Become a Major Category
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 categories, driven by consumer-privacy concerns, and dating and social-networking-style introduction services file here too. In nearly every one of these cases, the business is really delivering a Class 45 service through a Class 9/42 technology stack — so the modern filing is usually part of a multi-class strategy that includes a software class. Our Class 42 guide covers that technology side.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of services are in Class 45?
Legal services, security services, and personal and social services — law firms, attorneys, security guards, alarm monitoring, private investigation, online identity-protection, dating and matchmaking, funeral services, and clothing rental. It absorbs services that don't fit classes 35 through 44.
Is a dating app in Class 45?
The matchmaking or social-introduction service is Class 45, but the app itself is Class 9 (downloadable) and any online platform is Class 42 (SaaS). Dating-app companies typically file all three.
Why is it hard to trademark a law firm name?
Many firm names are based on partner surnames, and a mark that is primarily merely a surname can't register without proof of acquired distinctiveness. Descriptive names like "Affordable Legal Services" get refused too. A distinctive, coined firm name avoids both.
What class are security and identity-protection services in?
Security services and online identity-theft or personal-data protection services are Class 45. If delivered through software, that software is additionally classified in Class 9 or Class 42.
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 and search the wider registry before you commit to a firm name, an app brand, or a service identity.