Trademark Class 35: Business, Ads & Consulting Services

Trademark class 35 covers advertising, business management, business administration and office functions. If you sell marketing, consulting, accounting, recruitment or retail store services to other people, your brand name goes in this class.

You file it on Form TM-A with the Trade Marks Registry. The government fee for e-filing is Rs 4,500 per class for an individual, startup or small enterprise, and Rs 9,000 per class for everyone else. Registration usually takes well over a year, and once granted the mark stays valid for 10 years.

Quick test. A digital marketing agency, a CA firm and a company running an online marketplace would all file in Class 35. A company that makes soap and advertises it heavily would not. That brand belongs in a goods class.

What is Class 35 in trademark?

Trademarks in India are classified under the Nice system, applied through the Trade Marks Act, 1999. There are 45 classes. Classes 1 to 34 are for goods, and 35 to 45 are for services. Class 35 is the first service class. (Old forms and documents sometimes spell it “trade mark class 35”. Same thing.

What decides your class is who the service is for. Class 35 is for work done for other businesses or the public, like running their advertising, managing their affairs or selling their goods. Promoting your own products is not a service you provide to anyone, so it does not put you in this class.

Which services come under trademark class 35?

Use this as a guide. The exact wording on your application matters more than the heading.

People often ask for the digital marketing trademark class. This is it. SEO, social media and PPC work done for clients all sit in Class 35. To see the exact wording used for your service, search it on the Trademark Class Search tool.

What does Class 35 not cover?

This is where applicants slip, because the services sit close to each other.

An agency that also builds websites for clients needs cover for that part too, and our guide to trademark Class 42 explains where the line falls.

Explore the Complete List of Services Classified Under Trademark Class 35

Class 35 is a broad category that includes business services across various industries.

To get the full scope, explore the detailed list published under Class 35. You can use the search function to quickly find specific services such as "business consultancy," "retail management," or "bookkeeping."

Looking for the right trademark class for your services? Check out our detailed article on choosing the appropriate class for trademark registration to identify the best fit for your business

Does an online store need Class 35?

Depends on what you sell. Running a store or marketplace that sells other people’s goods is a retail service, and that is Class 35. If you sell only your own branded products, the goods class does most of the work. Many D2C brands file in both, say Class 25 for the clothes and Class 35 for the store.

How to file a trademark in Class 35

1. Search first. Check the register for similar names in Class 35 and the classes next to it. Words like “Marketing”, “Consultants” or “Solutions” cannot be owned by anyone, so the rest of your name has to be distinctive. Our note on how to check trademark availability shows how.

2. Pick the class and write the description. Be specific about what you do for clients. Vague wording invites questions at examination, and choosing the right trademark class at the start saves a lot of back and forth.

3. File Form TM-A online. Keep these ready: ID and address proof of the applicant, your logo if you have one, the date you started using the name, and a power of attorney if an agent files for you. Startups and small enterprises also need their certificate to claim the lower fee. The full list of documents required for trademark registration is on our blog.

You can use the TM symbol once the application is filed. The ® comes only after registration.

If the Registry raises an objection, here is how to reply to a trademark examination report. The one month window is short, so do not sit on it.

What does Class 35 trademark filing cost?

Each extra class costs the same again. A company filing in Class 35 and Class 41 pays Rs 18,000 in government fees online, before any professional charges. More on this in our post on trademark registration fees.

Do you need more than one class?

Often, yes. A consultancy that also runs paid workshops needs Class 41 for the training. A CA firm that launches a web platform needs Class 42. File only in classes you actually offer or will offer soon, because every class adds to the fee. The trade-offs are covered in this note on multi-class trademark filing.

Mistakes to avoid

• Filing in Class 35 to cover advertising of your own products.

• Putting accounting under Class 36 because it feels financial. Accounting is 35, investment advice is 36.

• Writing “business services” and nothing else.

• Skipping the search because the name feels unique.

• Missing the examination reply date.

Get your Class 35 brand checked and filed

“Had a great experience with LegalWiz for my trademark registration,” wrote Vishvam PG in June 2026.

If you are not sure whether your services sit in Class 35 or the class next door, we can check it and handle your trademark registration end to end.