All classes · Class 15
Class 15: Musical Instruments: trademark trends & clearance risk
Class 15 is the 44th busiest of the 45 classes, with 28,543 U.S. applications on record and 1,462 waiting for a decision. Its registration rate of 70.9% ranks 10th of 45, above the 61.9% average. Filings fell 11.4% in 2025, and are still below the 1,613 filed in the peak year of 2020. 58.8% of applications filed from 2015 to 2019 drew an Office Action, the 8th lowest share. The word used most in its live marks is "guitars", in 228 of them.
What it covers: Musical instruments
Words already crowded in Class 15
The words that appear most often in the 11,366 live Class 15 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 "guitars" is easier to fit in, and harder to defend against the next one.
| Word | Live marks using it |
|---|---|
| guitars | 228 |
| guitar | 137 |
| music | 130 |
| sound | 64 |
| series | 61 |
| tone | 59 |
| drum | 54 |
| percussion | 54 |
| pro | 48 |
| strings | 48 |
| bass | 41 |
| custom | 41 |
| world | 40 |
| instruments | 37 |
| musical | 37 |
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 15, not only exact matches. If your mark has a logo, run it through the logo similarity search too.
Easy to confuse with Class 15
Filing in the wrong class means paying again, so check where your goods or services actually belong.
- Musical instruments are Class 15. Amplifiers, speakers, headphones and recorded music are Class 9. Class 9: Computers & Electronics
- Musical instruments are Class 15. Music lessons and performances are Class 41. Class 41: Education & Entertainment
Not sure? Describe what you sell to the class recommender.
Wording that got through in Class 15
The descriptions of goods and services used most often in Class 15 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 |
|---|---|
| Musical instruments | 1,728 |
| Guitars | 1,481 |
| Electronic musical instruments | 926 |
| Harmonicas | 872 |
| Drums | 870 |
| Percussion instruments | 724 |
| Violins | 663 |
| Pianos | 636 |
| Cases for musical instruments | 625 |
| Replacement parts and fittings for musical instruments | 538 |
| Electric guitars | 509 |
| Guitar picks | 494 |
| Guitar straps | 475 |
| Stringed musical instruments | 453 |
| Flutes | 452 |
| Stands for musical instruments | 450 |
| Strings for musical instruments | 419 |
| Music synthesizers | 418 |
| Music boxes | 417 |
| Tuners for musical instruments | 413 |
Each application's description split into its separate items, counted once per application. Source: USPTO records. Rebuilt weekly.
What examination did to Class 15 applications
The 4,445 Class 15 applications filed from 2015 to 2019, followed through their file histories. 69.3% of them registered 7.8 points better than the all-class average.
| What happened | Applications | Share | All 45 classes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Filed in this class | 4,445 | 100% | – |
| Drew at least one Office Action | 2,614 | 58.8% | 58.4% |
| Escalated to a final refusal | 407 | 9.2% | 8.9% |
| Abandoned for never answering one | 855 | 19.2% | – |
| Registered in the end | 3,082 | 69.3% | 61.5% |
Every share is of the 4,445 applications filed. Rows overlap: an application that drew an Office Action and then registered is counted in both.
Of the 2,614 Class 15 applications that drew one, 32.7% were abandoned for never answering or answering late. Of those that did answer, 86.9% 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 15 applications that registered did so within 10.6 months of filing, and nine in ten within 23.1 months.
- Intent to use. 28.8% reached a Notice of Allowance, with only proof of use left to file. Even then, 37.2% of them were abandoned without a Statement of Use ever being filed, and of the ones that bought three or more extensions first, only 37.6% made it to registration.
- Filing without an attorney. 66.1% of Class 15 applications had an attorney on record, and those registered 75.5% of the time against 57.4% without one. 54.2% of unrepresented applicants who drew an Office Action never answered it. Your odds in Class 15.
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) | 10,271 | 36% |
| Pending | 1,462 | 5.1% |
| Abandoned | 7,876 | 27.6% |
| Cancelled / expired | 8,934 | 31.3% |
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 | 177 | |
| 2016 | 820 | |
| 2017 | 921 | |
| 2018 | 914 | |
| 2019 | 1,063 | |
| 2020 | 1,613 | |
| 2021 | 1,493 | |
| 2022 | 1,053 | |
| 2023 | 1,082 | |
| 2024 | 1,214 | |
| 2025 | 1,075 | |
| 2026 | 843 |
Source: USPTO bulk trademark feed. How we count.
International filings in Class 15 (Madrid System)
Where Class 15 marks are designated, and where they are refused
| Country / office | Designations | Provisional | Total refusals | Partial | Refusal rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| China (CN) | 231 | 71.9% | 59 | 73 | 25.5% |
| United States (US) | 229 | 94.3% | 8 | 0 | 3.5% |
| European Union (EM) | 220 | 35% | 12 | 1 | 5.5% |
| United Kingdom (GB) | 205 | 22% | 2 | 1 | 1% |
| Australia (AU) | 184 | 31.5% | 0 | 0 | 0% |
| South Korea (KR) | 173 | 65.3% | 6 | 0 | 3.5% |
| Canada (CA) | 171 | 88.9% | 31 | 0 | 18.1% |
| Japan (JP) | 171 | 69% | 22 | 0 | 12.9% |
Most international Class 15 filers come from France (550), European Union (378), Germany (337), United States (241), Japan (240), Italy (212).
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 15.
| # | Filer | Applications in this class |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | YAMAHA CORPORATION | 768 |
| 2 | GIBSON GUITAR CORP. | 560 |
| 3 | GIBSON BRANDS, INC. | 433 |
| 4 | REMO, INC. | 397 |
| 5 | DRUM WORKSHOP, INC. | 319 |
| 6 | ROLAND CORPORATION | 268 |
| 7 | EVETS CORPORATION | 259 |
| 8 | PEAVEY ELECTRONICS CORPORATION | 212 |
| 9 | GIBSON, INC. | 212 |
| 10 | TAYLOR-LISTUG, INC. | 210 |
Recently registered in Class 15
The latest marks the USPTO registered in this class, on 29 September 2026.