Trademark Class 36: Insurance, Financial and Real Estate Services
Financial, monetary and banking services; insurance services; real estate services.
What Class 36 covers in practice.
Class 36 covers services that deal with money, risk and property. That includes banking, loans and credit, payment and money-transfer services such as e-wallets and card payment processing, investment, mutual funds, insurance underwriting and actuarial work, brokerage of securities, insurance, real estate and carbon credits, appraisal of jewellery, art or real estate, crowdfunding, charitable fund raising, and real estate agency, management and rental.
The main boundary is with Class 35. The explanatory note sends book-keeping, statements of accounts, business and financial auditing and tax preparation and filing to Class 35, along with sponsorship search, while financial sponsorship stays in Class 36 and the alphabetical list keeps financial advice here too. Freight and transport brokerage, and cash replenishment of automated teller machines (ATMs), are Class 39. In India the class is used by non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), gold-loan and pawn lenders, fintech and payment companies, insurance brokers, stockbrokers, mutual fund distributors, money changers, and property dealers and developers for the selling and leasing side of their business.
Not in Class 36
Goods and services often confused with this class, and the class they actually belong to.
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Book-keeping, auditing and tax return filing Class 35 ↗
The Class 36 note excludes book-keeping, financial auditing and tax preparation and filing, which are business administration services in Class 35.
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Sponsorship search for events or athletes Class 35 ↗
Sponsorship search and promotion through sponsorship of sports events are excluded from Class 36; only financial sponsorship itself stays in Class 36.
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Freight brokerage and transport brokerage Class 39 ↗
Although brokerage is generally Class 36, the note specifically sends freight and transport brokerage to Class 39.
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Cash replenishment of ATMs Class 39 ↗
The Class 36 note excludes cash replenishment of automated teller machines, and Class 39 lists replenishing vending machines and automated teller machines.
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Downloadable banking or payment app Class 9 ↗
Downloadable computer software applications are Class 9 goods; only the financial service the app delivers is Class 36.
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Hostel, PG or other temporary accommodation Class 43 ↗
Temporary accommodation and boarding house services are Class 43, while the Class 43 note sends rental of houses or flats for residential use to Class 36.
What actually falls under Class 36.
The official heading is a legal category, not a shopping list — here are specific products and services from Class 36 people actually search for.
Banking / financial services
Charitable fundraising services
Credit card services
Crowdfunding services
Debt collection agency services
E-wallet payment services
The payment service is Class 36. The downloadable wallet app is Class 9, and providing non-downloadable software or a platform is Class 42.
Exchanging money (currency exchange)
Financial advice relating to tax
Advice is Class 36, but preparing and filing the tax returns themselves is Class 35.
Financial customs brokerage services
Nice lists financial customs brokerage in Class 36. Freight forwarding is Class 39. Customs clearance as such is not a Nice term, so check its class in the Trade Marks Registry class search before filing.
Financial exchange of cryptocurrency
Insurance services
Issuance of prepaid gift cards
Jewellery appraisal services
Loan / lending services
Mutual fund / portfolio management services
Pawnbrokerage services
Property management services
Real estate services
Rental of offices for co-working
Renting the desks or office space is Class 36. Rental of meeting rooms is Class 43, and reception and other office functions for members are Class 35.
Stock broking / investment services
Which class is my product or service in?
Straight answers for the specific items people search for under Class 36.
Class 36 protects the financial service itself, for example e-wallet payment services, processing of debit card payments, electronic funds transfer or loans. The downloadable app is a Class 9 good, and providing online non-downloadable software or a platform (SaaS or PaaS) is Class 42. Fintech brands commonly treat Class 36 as the core filing and add Class 9 and Class 42 where the technology itself is branded or offered to others.
Building the project is construction, which is Class 37. Selling, leasing and managing the units are real estate services in Class 36, which lists real estate agency services, real estate brokerage, real estate management and rental of real estate. Arranging finance for construction projects is also Class 36. A developer that both builds and markets flats under one brand usually considers both classes.
Both. Class 36 includes insurance underwriting for life, health, fire, marine and accident cover, which is what insurers do, and also insurance brokerage, insurance consultancy and providing insurance information, which cover intermediaries and advisers. Insurance provided during the transport of goods or people is Class 36 too, not Class 39.
Rental of apartments, rental of real estate and rental of offices for co-working are Class 36, and the Class 43 note confirms that renting houses or flats for residential use is Class 36. Temporary accommodation, including boarding house services and rental of temporary accommodation, is Class 43, so a PG or hostel run as lodging, often with meals, is usually filed there. For co-working, rental of meeting rooms is Class 43 and reception services for visitors are Class 35.
Mostly not. The Class 36 note excludes book-keeping, drawing up statements of accounts, business and financial auditing and tax preparation and filing, all of which are Class 35. Class 36 applies when the practice offers financial services such as financial consultancy, financial advice relating to tax, financial management or investment services. A practice offering both kinds of work may cover both classes.
Financial, monetary and banking services; insurance services; real estate services.
Common examples include: Banking / financial services, Charitable fundraising services, Credit card services, Crowdfunding services, Debt collection agency services, E-wallet payment services, Exchanging money (currency exchange), Financial advice relating to tax.
Insurance services falls under Trademark Class 36 — Insurance, Financial and Real Estate Services.
Real estate services falls under Trademark Class 36 — Insurance, Financial and Real Estate Services.
Banking / financial services falls under Trademark Class 36 — Insurance, Financial and Real Estate Services.
Loan / lending services falls under Trademark Class 36 — Insurance, Financial and Real Estate Services.
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