All classes · Class 41
Class 41: Education & Entertainment: trademark trends & clearance risk
Class 41 is the 3rd busiest of the 45 classes, with 1,385,802 U.S. applications on record and 122,410 waiting for a decision. Its registration rate of 61.4% ranks 32nd of 45, close to the 61.9% average. Filings rose 18.3% in 2025, the most in a decade. 62.4% of applications filed from 2015 to 2019 drew an Office Action, the 22nd lowest share. The word used most in its live marks is "life", in 5,175 of them.
What it covers: Education; providing of training; entertainment; sporting and cultural activities
Words already crowded in Class 41
The words that appear most often in the 583,573 live Class 41 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 "life" is easier to fit in, and harder to defend against the next one.
| Word | Live marks using it |
|---|---|
| life | 5,175 |
| world | 5,043 |
| academy | 4,805 |
| club | 4,705 |
| music | 3,774 |
| university | 3,624 |
| institute | 3,520 |
| com | 3,392 |
| center | 3,243 |
| school | 3,212 |
| american | 3,203 |
| fitness | 3,133 |
| health | 2,952 |
| entertainment | 2,951 |
| international | 2,926 |
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 41, not only exact matches. If your mark has a logo, run it through the logo similarity search too.
Easy to confuse with Class 41
Filing in the wrong class means paying again, so check where your goods or services actually belong.
- Online content without a download is Class 41. Downloadable e-books, music and podcasts are Class 9. Class 9: Computers & Electronics
- Gyms and fitness classes are Class 41. Spas and beauty treatments are Class 44. Class 44: Medical Services
- Nightclubs are Class 41. Bars and restaurants are Class 43. Class 43: Hotels & Restaurants
Not sure? Describe what you sell to the class recommender.
Wording that got through in Class 41
The descriptions of goods and services used most often in Class 41 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 |
|---|---|
| Entertainment services in the nature of live musical performances | 4,415 |
| Production of podcasts | 3,322 |
| Entertainment, namely, live music concerts | 2,904 |
| Music production services | 2,335 |
| Arranging, organizing, conducting, and hosting social entertainment events | 2,318 |
| Entertainment services in the nature of development, creation, production and post-production services of multimedia entertainment content | 2,152 |
| Photography services | 2,028 |
| Production of music | 1,996 |
| Entertainment services in the nature of organizing social entertainment events | 1,921 |
| Educational and entertainment services, namely, providing motivational and educational speakers | 1,871 |
| Production of sound and music video recordings | 1,850 |
| Publication of books | 1,808 |
| Providing online music, not downloadable | 1,777 |
| Entertainment services, namely, providing online video games | 1,757 |
| Photography | 1,750 |
| Entertainment services in the nature of hosting social entertainment events | 1,732 |
| Entertainment services in the nature of recording, production and post-production services in the field of music | 1,715 |
| Career coaching services | 1,624 |
| Entertainment services in the nature of presenting live musical performances | 1,618 |
| Business training | 1,605 |
Each application's description split into its separate items, counted once per application. Source: USPTO records. Rebuilt weekly.
What examination did to Class 41 applications
The 265,300 Class 41 applications filed from 2015 to 2019, followed through their file histories. 64% of them registered 2.5 points better than the all-class average.
| What happened | Applications | Share | All 45 classes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Filed in this class | 265,300 | 100% | – |
| Drew at least one Office Action | 165,643 | 62.4% | 58.4% |
| Escalated to a final refusal | 26,865 | 10.1% | 8.9% |
| Abandoned for never answering one | 51,289 | 19.3% | – |
| Registered in the end | 169,765 | 64% | 61.5% |
Every share is of the 265,300 applications filed. Rows overlap: an application that drew an Office Action and then registered is counted in both.
Of the 165,643 Class 41 applications that drew one, 31% were abandoned for never answering or answering late. Of those that did answer, 81.8% 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 41 applications that registered did so within 11.9 months of filing, and nine in ten within 27.3 months.
- Intent to use. 35.3% reached a Notice of Allowance, with only proof of use left to file. Even then, 44.4% of them were abandoned without a Statement of Use ever being filed, and of the ones that bought three or more extensions first, only 38% made it to registration.
- Filing without an attorney. 71.5% of Class 41 applications had an attorney on record, and those registered 69.8% of the time against 49.3% without one. 54.7% of unrepresented applicants who drew an Office Action never answered it. Your odds in Class 41.
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) | 413,735 | 29.9% |
| Pending | 122,410 | 8.8% |
| Abandoned | 487,895 | 35.2% |
| Cancelled / expired | 361,762 | 26.1% |
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 | 11,102 | |
| 2016 | 48,981 | |
| 2017 | 52,878 | |
| 2018 | 56,452 | |
| 2019 | 59,368 | |
| 2020 | 68,813 | |
| 2021 | 72,061 | |
| 2022 | 68,925 | |
| 2023 | 64,817 | |
| 2024 | 65,042 | |
| 2025 | 76,952 | |
| 2026 | 68,710 |
Source: USPTO bulk trademark feed. How we count.
International filings in Class 41 (Madrid System)
Where Class 41 marks are designated, and where they are refused
| Country / office | Designations | Provisional | Total refusals | Partial | Refusal rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| European Union (EM) | 6,633 | 31.3% | 198 | 38 | 3% |
| United States (US) | 6,502 | 98.8% | 159 | 18 | 2.4% |
| United Kingdom (GB) | 6,165 | 18.3% | 42 | 21 | 0.7% |
| Canada (CA) | 5,316 | 93% | 1,188 | 0 | 22.3% |
| China (CN) | 5,248 | 75.5% | 1,232 | 1,884 | 23.5% |
| Switzerland (CH) | 4,837 | 17.3% | 162 | 5 | 3.3% |
| Australia (AU) | 4,609 | 41.9% | 14 | 11 | 0.3% |
| Japan (JP) | 4,359 | 86.8% | 810 | 0 | 18.6% |
Most international Class 41 filers come from European Union (11,521), United States (8,511), Germany (8,066), France (7,602), United Kingdom (5,713), Switzerland (5,155).
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 41.
| # | Filer | Applications in this class |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | VIACOM INTERNATIONAL INC. | 6,629 |
| 2 | TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX FILM CORPORATION | 3,063 |
| 3 | World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. | 3,025 |
| 4 | Disney Enterprises, Inc. | 2,677 |
| 5 | A&E TELEVISION NETWORKS, LLC | 2,124 |
| 6 | Playtika Ltd. | 1,998 |
| 7 | Euro Games Technology Ltd. | 1,702 |
| 8 | TELEVISA S.A. DE C.V. | 1,687 |
| 9 | Kennedy, Randolph Dennis | 1,686 |
| 10 | DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS, LLC | 1,610 |
Recently registered in Class 41
The latest marks the USPTO registered in this class, on 29 September 2026.