What is Locarno Classification?

The Locarno Classification is an international system for organizing industrial designs into standardized categories based on the type of product to which a design is applied. Established by the Locarno Agreement of 1968 and administered by WIPO, it consists of 32 classes and 237 subclasses. Unlike the Nice Classification, which governs trademarks, the Locarno Classification specifically addresses the registration and search of industrial designs — the ornamental or aesthetic aspect of a product rather than its functional features.

Each class in the Locarno system groups products that share a common purpose or function. Class 1 covers foodstuffs, Class 14 covers recording and communication equipment, and Class 23 covers fluid distribution equipment, for instance. Within each class, subclasses provide finer granularity. The classification also includes an alphabetical list of products with their corresponding class and subclass, helping applicants determine where their product fits and enabling examiners and searchers to locate relevant prior art efficiently.

While the Locarno Classification is primarily used for industrial designs, it intersects with trademark practice in important ways. Many trademarks incorporate three-dimensional shapes or product configurations that may also qualify as registered designs. Understanding the Locarno Classification helps IP professionals identify potential overlaps between design registrations and three-dimensional trademarks, particularly in jurisdictions where both types of protection can coexist for the same product shape.

Why It Matters

For businesses that invest in distinctive product designs — from consumer electronics to furniture to packaging — the Locarno Classification provides the structure for protecting and searching those designs internationally. When filing a design application through the Hague System (WIPO's international design registration system), applicants must specify the Locarno class, making familiarity with the system essential for proper filing.

From a trademark perspective, the Locarno Classification becomes relevant when brands seek three-dimensional trademark protection for product shapes. A search for prior design registrations in the relevant Locarno class can reveal existing designs that might undermine the novelty of a proposed design registration or the distinctiveness argument for a 3D trademark application. Ignoring the design landscape can lead to costly conflicts.

How Signa Helps

While Signa's primary focus is trademark data, the platform recognizes that comprehensive IP protection often requires considering design registrations alongside trademarks. Signa's search API can surface three-dimensional trademarks and shape marks that overlap with the Locarno design space, giving users visibility into potential conflicts that extend beyond traditional word and logo marks.

Signa's structured data output also includes information about the format of each trademark — whether it is a word mark, figurative mark, or three-dimensional mark — enabling users to filter for shape marks that may intersect with industrial designs in a given Locarno class. This cross-referencing capability is particularly valuable for product-centric brands where design protection and trademark protection work hand in hand.

Real-World Example

A furniture manufacturer wants to protect the distinctive shape of their best-selling modular bookshelf. They plan to file both a design registration (using the Locarno Classification, Class 6 — furniture) and a three-dimensional trademark application in Class 20 (goods made of wood and furniture). Before filing, their IP team uses Signa to search for existing 3D trademarks in Class 20 that cover bookshelf shapes. The search returns several shape mark registrations for modular furniture, one of which bears a striking structural similarity to their design. Armed with this information, they refine their design to emphasize unique visual features — a distinctive interlocking joint and asymmetric shelf spacing — that differentiate it from the prior registrations, strengthening both their design application and their trademark filing.