Trademark Class 12: Vehicles and Apparatus for Locomotion
Vehicles and apparatus for locomotion by land, air or water, including engines for land vehicles. Engines for boats and aircraft, and general industrial engines, are Class 7 instead.
What Class 12 covers in practice.
Class 12 covers vehicles and apparatus for locomotion by land, air or water. In practice it holds cars, two-wheelers, e-rickshaws, buses, trucks, tractors, bicycles, boats, aircraft and civilian drones, together with engines, motors, couplings and transmission parts made for land vehicles, and vehicle parts such as bodies, chassis, brakes, bumpers, steering wheels, seats, windscreens, wheels and tyres. It also covers prams, wheelchairs, wheelbarrows, shopping trolleys and remote-control vehicles that are not toys.
The explanatory note keeps some vehicle-related goods elsewhere. Parts of engines, such as starters, mufflers and cylinders, are Class 7 even when the engine is in a car, and engines that are not for land vehicles, including boat and aircraft engines, are also Class 7. Vehicle batteries and radios are Class 9, vehicle lights Class 11 and car carpets Class 27. Toy scooters and infant tricycles are Class 28. Indian filers include auto-component makers, two-wheeler and EV start-ups, e-rickshaw assemblers, bicycle brands in Ludhiana, tyre companies and car-accessory sellers.
Not in Class 12
Goods and services often confused with this class, and the class they actually belong to.
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Spark plugs, silencers, pistons and other engine parts Class 7 ↗
The Class 12 note excludes parts of all kinds of motors and engines, such as starters, mufflers and cylinders, which are Class 7.
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Outboard motors and aircraft engines Class 7 ↗
The Class 12 note sends motors and engines other than for land vehicles to Class 7.
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Vehicle batteries, car radios and mileage recorders Class 9 ↗
The Class 12 note names electric batteries, mileage recorders and radios for vehicles as Class 9 goods.
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Headlights and bicycle lights Class 11 ↗
The Class 12 note sends lights for automobiles and bicycles to Class 11.
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Car floor mats and automobile carpets Class 27 ↗
The Class 12 note excludes automobile carpets, and floor mats for vehicles are listed in Class 27.
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Toy scooters, infant tricycles and toy drones Class 28 ↗
The Class 12 note places tricycles for infants and scooters being toys in Class 28, and toy drones are listed there too.
What actually falls under Class 12.
The official heading is a legal category, not a shopping list — here are specific products and services from Class 12 people actually search for.
Air bags for automobiles
Anti-theft alarms for vehicles
General anti-theft warning apparatus not made for vehicles is Class 9.
Auto parts / spare parts (for vehicles)
Bicycles
Boats / ships
Brake pads for automobiles
Brake pads other than for vehicles, such as for industrial machines, are Class 7.
Car seat covers / accessories (structural)
Cars, two-wheelers, commercial vehicles
Drones (unmanned aerial vehicles)
Civilian, camera and delivery drones are all Class 12, as apparatus for locomotion by air. A drone sold as a toy is Class 28 instead, so classify by what the drone is actually marketed as.
E-rickshaws / e-scooters
Forklift trucks
Cranes, hoists and other lifting apparatus are Class 7.
Golf carts / electric carts
Prams and pushchairs
Tricycles for infants are Class 28 as toys.
Rearview mirrors
Rearview cameras for vehicles and parking sensors for vehicles are Class 9.
Safety seats for children, for vehicles
Self-balancing scooters
Scooters sold as toys are Class 28.
Tractors (as vehicles)
Trailers / trolleys (vehicle)
Tyres
Vehicle engines
Engines specifically for land vehicles are Class 12. A general industrial or generator engine, not tied to a vehicle, is Class 7 instead.
Wheelbarrows and handling carts
Wheelchairs
Wheelchairs and mobility scooters are Class 12, listed in the class heading itself alongside other vehicles -- not Class 10. Class 10 covers the surgical, diagnostic and therapeutic apparatus a wheelchair user might separately need.
Which class is my product or service in?
Straight answers for the specific items people search for under Class 12.
Class 7. Only motors and engines for land vehicles are Class 12. The Class 7 heading covers motors and engines except for land vehicles, and the Nice list places outboard motors, engines for boats, aeroplane engines and jet engines other than for land vehicles in Class 7. The boats and aircraft themselves remain Class 12.
Usually more than one. Bodies, chassis, brakes, clutches and gearboxes for land vehicles, suspension shock absorbers, steering wheels, wheels and tyres are Class 12. Engine parts such as sparking plugs, pistons, filters for engines and silencers are Class 7. Batteries, wiring harnesses and speed indicators are Class 9, vehicle lights Class 11, and floor mats for vehicles Class 27. List the parts actually sold and file in each matching class.
Class 9. Protective helmets, riding helmets and visors for helmets are Class 9 safety apparatus, as is motorcyclists' clothing for protection against accident or injury. Class 12 covers the motorcycle and its parts, including motorcycle saddles, saddle covers and panniers adapted for motorcycles. A helmet brand files in Class 9 and adds Class 12 only if it also sells vehicle parts or accessories.
Class 9. Electric batteries for vehicles and charging stations for electric vehicles are listed in Class 9, and the Class 12 note sends vehicle batteries there. The electric vehicle itself, its electric motor for land vehicles and its chassis are Class 12. Charging of electric vehicles and electric vehicle battery swapping are Class 37 services, so an electric vehicle (EV) company may need Classes 9, 12 and 37.
Prams, pushchairs and pushchair covers and hoods are Class 12, as are bicycles. Tricycles for infants and scooters sold as toys are Class 28, as the Class 12 explanatory note states, while push scooters and self-balancing scooters used as vehicles are Class 12. Classify by whether the product is a means of transport or a toy, and describe it that way in the specification.
Vehicles and apparatus for locomotion by land, air or water, including engines for land vehicles. Engines for boats and aircraft, and general industrial engines, are Class 7 instead.
Common examples include: Air bags for automobiles, Anti-theft alarms for vehicles, Auto parts / spare parts (for vehicles), Bicycles, Boats / ships, Brake pads for automobiles, Car seat covers / accessories (structural), Cars, two-wheelers, commercial vehicles.
Cars, two-wheelers, commercial vehicles falls under Trademark Class 12 — Vehicles and Apparatus for Locomotion.
Bicycles falls under Trademark Class 12 — Vehicles and Apparatus for Locomotion.
Tyres falls under Trademark Class 12 — Vehicles and Apparatus for Locomotion.
Auto parts / spare parts (for vehicles) falls under Trademark Class 12 — Vehicles and Apparatus for Locomotion.
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