All classes · Class 42
Class 42: Computer & Scientific: trademark trends & clearance risk
Class 42 is the 5th busiest of the 45 classes, with 1,186,651 U.S. applications on record and 113,727 waiting for a decision. Its registration rate of 61.9% ranks 31st of 45, close to the 61.9% average. Filings rose 22.5% in 2025. 67.9% of applications filed from 2015 to 2019 drew an Office Action, the 6th highest share. The word used most in its live marks is "com", in 6,327 of them.
What it covers: Scientific and technological services; industrial analysis and research services
Words already crowded in Class 42
The words that appear most often in the 473,211 live Class 42 marks. A word that many owners already use gets narrow protection: two marks that share it are usually told apart by the rest of the name. That cuts both ways. A new name built on "com" is easier to fit in, and harder to defend against the next one.
| Word | Live marks using it |
|---|---|
| com | 6,327 |
| solutions | 3,788 |
| health | 3,312 |
| design | 2,479 |
| group | 2,471 |
| services | 2,088 |
| technology | 2,027 |
| technologies | 1,979 |
| intelligence | 1,962 |
| systems | 1,962 |
| world | 1,890 |
| data | 1,875 |
| digital | 1,860 |
| network | 1,845 |
| center | 1,833 |
Live marks are registered or pending. Words of three letters or more, counted once per mark; articles and company suffixes left out. Rebuilt weekly.
Check before you file. The free clearance risk check finds marks that look or sound like yours in Class 42, not only exact matches. If your mark has a logo, run it through the logo similarity search too.
Easy to confuse with Class 42
Filing in the wrong class means paying again, so check where your goods or services actually belong.
- Software used online without downloading (SaaS) is Class 42. Downloadable software and apps are Class 9. Class 9: Computers & Electronics
- Web design is Class 42. Online advertising and marketing are Class 35. Class 35: Advertising & Business
Not sure? Describe what you sell to the class recommender.
Wording that got through in Class 42
The descriptions of goods and services used most often in Class 42 applications that went on to register, filed since 2020. Wording that examiners have accepted thousands of times is a safer start than your own: a description written freely costs $200 more per class and is a common reason for an Office Action asking you to rephrase. Check the exact entry in the USPTO's ID Manual before you file.
| Description | Registered marks using it |
|---|---|
| Computer programming | 3,741 |
| Computer software design | 3,534 |
| Design and development of computer hardware and software | 2,662 |
| Electronic data storage | 2,639 |
| Computer software consultancy | 2,377 |
| Maintenance of computer software | 2,327 |
| Software design and development | 2,232 |
| Computer software development | 2,220 |
| Updating of computer software | 2,036 |
| Graphic design services | 1,948 |
| Research and development of new products for others | 1,776 |
| Design and development of computer software | 1,753 |
| Computer system design | 1,671 |
| Scientific research | 1,649 |
| Computer technology consultancy | 1,517 |
| Installation of computer software | 1,462 |
| Consulting services in the field of software as a service (saas) | 1,461 |
| Computer security consultancy | 1,453 |
| Computer system analysis | 1,351 |
| Development of computer platforms | 1,326 |
Each application's description split into its separate items, counted once per application. Source: USPTO records. Rebuilt weekly.
What examination did to Class 42 applications
The 181,276 Class 42 applications filed from 2015 to 2019, followed through their file histories. 65.2% of them registered 3.7 points better than the all-class average.
| What happened | Applications | Share | All 45 classes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Filed in this class | 181,276 | 100% | – |
| Drew at least one Office Action | 123,084 | 67.9% | 58.4% |
| Escalated to a final refusal | 22,082 | 12.2% | 8.9% |
| Abandoned for never answering one | 30,657 | 16.9% | – |
| Registered in the end | 118,189 | 65.2% | 61.5% |
Every share is of the 181,276 applications filed. Rows overlap: an application that drew an Office Action and then registered is counted in both.
Of the 123,084 Class 42 applications that drew one, 24.9% were abandoned for never answering or answering late. Of those that did answer, 81.2% went on to register. If you get one, the deadline matters more than the refusal does: track it here, and put an email address you actually read on the application.
- How long it took. Half the Class 42 applications that registered did so within 13.8 months of filing, and nine in ten within 32.1 months.
- Intent to use. 39.1% reached a Notice of Allowance, with only proof of use left to file. Even then, 42% of them were abandoned without a Statement of Use ever being filed, and of the ones that bought three or more extensions first, only 40.2% made it to registration.
- Filing without an attorney. 80.2% of Class 42 applications had an attorney on record, and those registered 69% of the time against 49.8% without one. 51.7% of unrepresented applicants who drew an Office Action never answered it. Your odds in Class 42.
Cohort: applications with a filing date from 2015 to 2019, counted once in every class they claim. Outcome is whether a registration ever issued. Source: USPTO file histories. All 45 classes compared. How we count.
Status mix of all filings
| Status | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Live (registered) | 298,736 | 25.2% |
| Pending | 113,727 | 9.6% |
| Abandoned | 409,225 | 34.5% |
| Cancelled / expired | 364,963 | 30.8% |
Filings by year (last decade)
How many new applications were filed in this class each year. Excludes records with null filing dates (mostly very old paper backfile).
| Year | New filings | Volume |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 7,715 | |
| 2016 | 33,275 | |
| 2017 | 36,300 | |
| 2018 | 39,122 | |
| 2019 | 40,479 | |
| 2020 | 45,281 | |
| 2021 | 51,226 | |
| 2022 | 50,873 | |
| 2023 | 46,828 | |
| 2024 | 48,193 | |
| 2025 | 59,015 | |
| 2026 | 61,523 |
Source: USPTO bulk trademark feed. How we count.
International filings in Class 42 (Madrid System)
Where Class 42 marks are designated, and where they are refused
| Country / office | Designations | Provisional | Total refusals | Partial | Refusal rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| European Union (EM) | 10,957 | 26.6% | 326 | 39 | 3% |
| United States (US) | 10,940 | 98.9% | 263 | 27 | 2.4% |
| United Kingdom (GB) | 10,393 | 14.1% | 63 | 29 | 0.6% |
| China (CN) | 9,220 | 72.6% | 2,209 | 2,996 | 24% |
| Canada (CA) | 8,986 | 92.8% | 1,906 | 0 | 21.2% |
| Australia (AU) | 7,641 | 39.9% | 16 | 14 | 0.2% |
| Japan (JP) | 7,622 | 83% | 1,168 | 0 | 15.3% |
| Switzerland (CH) | 7,451 | 15.4% | 233 | 6 | 3.1% |
Most international Class 42 filers come from European Union (18,433), United States (15,329), Germany (12,149), France (9,935), Switzerland (7,110), United Kingdom (6,673).
WIPO Madrid Monitor data (CC BY 4.0); refusals measured on 2019–2022 registrations. Why we count this way.
Most-active filers in this class
The 10 entities with the most trademark applications in Class 42.
| # | Filer | Applications in this class |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION | 1,825 |
| 2 | Microsoft Corporation | 1,632 |
| 3 | MCDONALD'S CORPORATION | 1,447 |
| 4 | Deutsche Telekom AG | 1,402 |
| 5 | INTERNATIONAL DATA GROUP, INC. | 1,382 |
| 6 | AMAZON TECHNOLOGIES, INC. | 1,328 |
| 7 | SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT | 974 |
| 8 | GOOGLE LLC | 900 |
| 9 | BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM INTERNATIONAL GMBH | 825 |
| 10 | Tencent Holdings Limited | 759 |
Recently registered in Class 42
The latest marks the USPTO registered in this class, on 29 September 2026.