All classes · Class 10
Class 10: Medical Apparatus: trademark trends & clearance risk
Class 10 is the 16th busiest of the 45 classes, with 306,764 U.S. applications on record and 23,843 waiting for a decision. Its registration rate of 63.4% ranks 23rd of 45, above the 61.9% average. Filings rose 2.1% in 2025, and are below the 22,868 filed in the peak year of 2020. 61.2% of applications filed from 2015 to 2019 drew an Office Action, the 19th lowest share. The word used most in its live marks is "medical", in 1,177 of them.
What it covers: Surgical, medical, dental and veterinary apparatus and instruments
Words already crowded in Class 10
The words that appear most often in the 131,765 live Class 10 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 "medical" is easier to fit in, and harder to defend against the next one.
| Word | Live marks using it |
|---|---|
| medical | 1,177 |
| health | 642 |
| system | 590 |
| pro | 581 |
| life | 570 |
| care | 522 |
| technology | 407 |
| plus | 367 |
| one | 352 |
| smart | 344 |
| flex | 316 |
| fit | 308 |
| solutions | 295 |
| baby | 277 |
| therapy | 267 |
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 10, not only exact matches. If your mark has a logo, run it through the logo similarity search too.
Easy to confuse with Class 10
Filing in the wrong class means paying again, so check where your goods or services actually belong.
- Medical devices and instruments are Class 10. Medicines are Class 5. Class 5: Pharmaceuticals
- Physiotherapy apparatus is Class 10. Exercise machines for fitness are Class 28. Class 28: Toys & Sporting Goods
Not sure? Describe what you sell to the class recommender.
Wording that got through in Class 10
The descriptions of goods and services used most often in Class 10 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 |
|---|---|
| Sex toys | 8,917 |
| Massage apparatus | 8,668 |
| Condoms | 5,002 |
| Massage apparatus and instruments | 4,724 |
| Love dolls | 4,144 |
| Sanitary masks for medical purposes | 3,994 |
| Electric massage appliances, namely, electric vibrating massager | 3,772 |
| Vibromassage apparatus | 3,673 |
| Sex dolls | 3,470 |
| Breast pumps | 3,391 |
| Massaging apparatus for personal use | 3,323 |
| Hearing aids | 3,060 |
| Electric massage apparatus for household use | 2,878 |
| Contraceptive apparatus | 2,338 |
| Baby bottles | 2,315 |
| Thermometers for medical purposes | 2,305 |
| Massage apparatus for eyes | 2,137 |
| Foot massage apparatus | 2,077 |
| Sphygmomanometers | 1,954 |
| Adult sexual stimulation aids, namely, artificial penises, penis enlargers, vibrators, benwa balls, artificial vaginas | 1,928 |
Each application's description split into its separate items, counted once per application. Source: USPTO records. Rebuilt weekly.
What examination did to Class 10 applications
The 51,565 Class 10 applications filed from 2015 to 2019, followed through their file histories. 62.9% of them registered 1.4 points better than the all-class average.
| What happened | Applications | Share | All 45 classes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Filed in this class | 51,565 | 100% | – |
| Drew at least one Office Action | 31,579 | 61.2% | 58.4% |
| Escalated to a final refusal | 5,191 | 10.1% | 8.9% |
| Abandoned for never answering one | 7,854 | 15.2% | – |
| Registered in the end | 32,436 | 62.9% | 61.5% |
Every share is of the 51,565 applications filed. Rows overlap: an application that drew an Office Action and then registered is counted in both.
Of the 31,579 Class 10 applications that drew one, 24.9% were abandoned for never answering or answering late. Of those that did answer, 80.1% 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 10 applications that registered did so within 13.3 months of filing, and nine in ten within 31.5 months.
- Intent to use. 43.3% reached a Notice of Allowance, with only proof of use left to file. Even then, 46.8% of them were abandoned without a Statement of Use ever being filed, and of the ones that bought three or more extensions first, only 33.4% made it to registration.
- Filing without an attorney. 77.3% of Class 10 applications had an attorney on record, and those registered 65.8% of the time against 53% without one. 49.3% of unrepresented applicants who drew an Office Action never answered it. Your odds in Class 10.
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) | 99,530 | 32.4% |
| Pending | 23,843 | 7.8% |
| Abandoned | 103,448 | 33.7% |
| Cancelled / expired | 79,943 | 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 | 2,054 | |
| 2016 | 9,276 | |
| 2017 | 10,473 | |
| 2018 | 11,429 | |
| 2019 | 11,932 | |
| 2020 | 22,868 | |
| 2021 | 16,808 | |
| 2022 | 13,262 | |
| 2023 | 13,415 | |
| 2024 | 14,067 | |
| 2025 | 14,363 | |
| 2026 | 12,367 |
Source: USPTO bulk trademark feed. How we count.
International filings in Class 10 (Madrid System)
Where Class 10 marks are designated, and where they are refused
| Country / office | Designations | Provisional | Total refusals | Partial | Refusal rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States (US) | 3,382 | 96.5% | 56 | 5 | 1.7% |
| European Union (EM) | 3,351 | 18.1% | 98 | 10 | 2.9% |
| China (CN) | 3,187 | 63.4% | 764 | 788 | 24% |
| United Kingdom (GB) | 2,957 | 10.2% | 8 | 5 | 0.3% |
| Japan (JP) | 2,774 | 63.1% | 380 | 0 | 13.7% |
| Canada (CA) | 2,687 | 87.7% | 531 | 0 | 19.8% |
| Australia (AU) | 2,610 | 32.8% | 5 | 4 | 0.2% |
| Switzerland (CH) | 2,343 | 14% | 85 | 2 | 3.6% |
Most international Class 10 filers come from European Union (5,655), United States (4,150), Germany (3,901), France (2,846), Switzerland (2,543), China (1,805).
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 10.
| # | Filer | Applications in this class |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MEDTRONIC, INC. | 2,571 |
| 2 | JOHNSON & JOHNSON | 2,462 |
| 3 | C. R. BARD, INC. | 1,652 |
| 4 | BOSTON SCIENTIFIC SCIMED, INC. | 1,291 |
| 5 | NOVARTIS AG | 1,195 |
| 6 | STRYKER CORPORATION | 1,137 |
| 7 | MEDLINE INDUSTRIES, INC. | 1,077 |
| 8 | ABBOTT LABORATORIES | 976 |
| 9 | BAXTER INTERNATIONAL INC. | 968 |
| 10 | OLYMPUS CORPORATION | 897 |
Recently registered in Class 10
The latest marks the USPTO registered in this class, on 29 September 2026.