All classes · Class 18
Class 18: Leather Goods: trademark trends & clearance risk
Class 18 is the 21st busiest of the 45 classes, with 252,470 U.S. applications on record and 21,271 waiting for a decision. Its registration rate of 63% ranks 26th of 45, above the 61.9% average. Filings fell 10.3% in 2025, and are still below the 15,865 filed in the peak year of 2021. 60.2% of applications filed from 2015 to 2019 drew an Office Action, the 14th lowest share. The word used most in its live marks is "pet", in 544 of them.
What it covers: Leather and imitations of leather; animal skins, hides; trunks and travelling bags
Words already crowded in Class 18
The words that appear most often in the 103,943 live Class 18 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 "pet" is easier to fit in, and harder to defend against the next one.
| Word | Live marks using it |
|---|---|
| pet | 544 |
| bag | 527 |
| life | 492 |
| love | 455 |
| dog | 448 |
| gear | 440 |
| club | 427 |
| new | 418 |
| world | 360 |
| leather | 340 |
| york | 301 |
| one | 254 |
| american | 251 |
| collection | 249 |
| baby | 242 |
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 18, not only exact matches. If your mark has a logo, run it through the logo similarity search too.
Easy to confuse with Class 18
Filing in the wrong class means paying again, so check where your goods or services actually belong.
- Bags, wallets and luggage are Class 18. Belts and clothing are Class 25. Class 25: Clothing
- Handbags and backpacks are Class 18. Bags and cases made for laptops and phones are Class 9. Class 9: Computers & Electronics
Not sure? Describe what you sell to the class recommender.
Wording that got through in Class 18
The descriptions of goods and services used most often in Class 18 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 |
|---|---|
| Backpacks | 11,826 |
| Handbags | 10,198 |
| Umbrellas | 8,341 |
| Tote bags | 7,743 |
| Travelling bags | 7,478 |
| Purses | 7,258 |
| Wallets | 6,563 |
| Shoulder bags | 6,207 |
| Backpacks, book bags, sports bags, bum bags, wallets and handbags | 6,171 |
| Briefcases | 5,259 |
| School bags | 5,023 |
| Backpacks for pets | 4,982 |
| Travel bags | 4,822 |
| Sports bags | 4,702 |
| Clothing for pets | 4,676 |
| Beach bags | 4,353 |
| All-purpose carrying bags | 4,329 |
| Suitcases | 4,272 |
| Crossbody bags | 3,782 |
| Pocket wallets | 3,661 |
Each application's description split into its separate items, counted once per application. Source: USPTO records. Rebuilt weekly.
What examination did to Class 18 applications
The 51,376 Class 18 applications filed from 2015 to 2019, followed through their file histories. 64.8% of them registered 3.3 points better than the all-class average.
| What happened | Applications | Share | All 45 classes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Filed in this class | 51,376 | 100% | – |
| Drew at least one Office Action | 30,915 | 60.2% | 58.4% |
| Escalated to a final refusal | 4,770 | 9.3% | 8.9% |
| Abandoned for never answering one | 8,568 | 16.7% | – |
| Registered in the end | 33,278 | 64.8% | 61.5% |
Every share is of the 51,376 applications filed. Rows overlap: an application that drew an Office Action and then registered is counted in both.
Of the 30,915 Class 18 applications that drew one, 27.7% were abandoned for never answering or answering late. Of those that did answer, 80.8% 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 18 applications that registered did so within 12.1 months of filing, and nine in ten within 28.3 months.
- Intent to use. 35.6% reached a Notice of Allowance, with only proof of use left to file. Even then, 46.9% of them were abandoned without a Statement of Use ever being filed, and of the ones that bought three or more extensions first, only 36.5% made it to registration.
- Filing without an attorney. 67.3% of Class 18 applications had an attorney on record, and those registered 68.3% of the time against 57.4% without one. 48.6% of unrepresented applicants who drew an Office Action never answered it. Your odds in Class 18.
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) | 81,492 | 32.3% |
| Pending | 21,271 | 8.4% |
| Abandoned | 85,450 | 33.8% |
| Cancelled / expired | 64,257 | 25.5% |
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 | 1,853 | |
| 2016 | 8,925 | |
| 2017 | 10,945 | |
| 2018 | 11,555 | |
| 2019 | 12,324 | |
| 2020 | 14,604 | |
| 2021 | 15,865 | |
| 2022 | 13,026 | |
| 2023 | 13,750 | |
| 2024 | 14,730 | |
| 2025 | 13,214 | |
| 2026 | 10,538 |
Source: USPTO bulk trademark feed. How we count.
International filings in Class 18 (Madrid System)
Where Class 18 marks are designated, and where they are refused
| Country / office | Designations | Provisional | Total refusals | Partial | Refusal rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States (US) | 2,855 | 97.8% | 73 | 10 | 2.6% |
| China (CN) | 2,814 | 76% | 508 | 1,100 | 18.1% |
| European Union (EM) | 2,608 | 32.6% | 45 | 17 | 1.7% |
| United Kingdom (GB) | 2,453 | 20% | 15 | 17 | 0.6% |
| Switzerland (CH) | 2,402 | 12.5% | 65 | 2 | 2.7% |
| Japan (JP) | 2,174 | 76.4% | 275 | 0 | 12.6% |
| Canada (CA) | 2,051 | 94.4% | 414 | 0 | 20.2% |
| Australia (AU) | 1,963 | 36.7% | 6 | 7 | 0.3% |
Most international Class 18 filers come from European Union (5,937), France (4,591), Italy (4,314), Germany (4,082), United Kingdom (2,372), Switzerland (2,263).
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 18.
| # | Filer | Applications in this class |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SAMSONITE CORPORATION | 1,349 |
| 2 | Disney Enterprises, Inc. | 1,075 |
| 3 | TARGET BRANDS, INC. | 527 |
| 4 | VIACOM INTERNATIONAL INC. | 522 |
| 5 | SAMSONITE IP HOLDINGS S.A.R.L. | 517 |
| 6 | HERMES INTERNATIONAL | 515 |
| 7 | LOUIS VUITTON MALLETIER | 410 |
| 8 | AIRWAY INDUSTRIES, INC. | 382 |
| 9 | MATTEL INC. | 380 |
| 10 | L.C. LICENSING, INC. | 361 |
Recently registered in Class 18
The latest marks the USPTO registered in this class, on 29 September 2026.