All classes · Class 16
Class 16: Paper Goods: trademark trends & clearance risk
Class 16 is the 6th busiest of the 45 classes, with 721,601 U.S. applications on record and 40,949 waiting for a decision. Its registration rate of 62.1% ranks 29th of 45, close to the 61.9% average. Filings rose 6.2% in 2025, the most in a decade. 63.6% of applications filed from 2015 to 2019 drew an Office Action, the 16th highest share. The word used most in its live marks is "life", in 2,262 of them.
What it covers: Paper and cardboard; printed matter; bookbinding material; photographs; stationery
Words already crowded in Class 16
The words that appear most often in the 259,777 live Class 16 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 | 2,262 |
| world | 1,723 |
| art | 1,593 |
| american | 1,406 |
| magazine | 1,310 |
| journal | 1,169 |
| love | 1,162 |
| press | 1,154 |
| com | 1,050 |
| new | 1,045 |
| business | 1,042 |
| home | 1,008 |
| guide | 990 |
| international | 971 |
| america | 936 |
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 16, not only exact matches. If your mark has a logo, run it through the logo similarity search too.
Easy to confuse with Class 16
Filing in the wrong class means paying again, so check where your goods or services actually belong.
- Printed books, stationery and stickers are Class 16. E-books and other downloadable publications are Class 9. Class 9: Computers & Electronics
- Printed matter is Class 16. Publishing online, without a download, is Class 41. Class 41: Education & Entertainment
Not sure? Describe what you sell to the class recommender.
Wording that got through in Class 16
The descriptions of goods and services used most often in Class 16 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 |
|---|---|
| Stickers | 12,197 |
| Stationery | 8,366 |
| Printed posters | 6,390 |
| Pens | 5,383 |
| Paintings | 5,069 |
| Printed greeting cards | 4,905 |
| Art prints | 4,613 |
| Office stationery | 4,355 |
| Paper | 3,649 |
| Printed calendars | 3,540 |
| Framed paintings | 3,248 |
| Gift bags | 3,046 |
| Decals | 3,029 |
| Pencils | 2,996 |
| Art prints on canvas | 2,929 |
| Paper notebooks | 2,917 |
| Paper party decorations | 2,638 |
| Printed photographs | 2,627 |
| Writing instruments | 2,460 |
| Art pictures on canvas | 2,325 |
Each application's description split into its separate items, counted once per application. Source: USPTO records. Rebuilt weekly.
What examination did to Class 16 applications
The 84,247 Class 16 applications filed from 2015 to 2019, followed through their file histories. 62.5% of them registered 1 points better than the all-class average.
| What happened | Applications | Share | All 45 classes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Filed in this class | 84,247 | 100% | – |
| Drew at least one Office Action | 53,614 | 63.6% | 58.4% |
| Escalated to a final refusal | 9,169 | 10.9% | 8.9% |
| Abandoned for never answering one | 15,109 | 17.9% | – |
| Registered in the end | 52,630 | 62.5% | 61.5% |
Every share is of the 84,247 applications filed. Rows overlap: an application that drew an Office Action and then registered is counted in both.
Of the 53,614 Class 16 applications that drew one, 28.2% were abandoned for never answering or answering late. Of those that did answer, 80.5% 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 16 applications that registered did so within 13.3 months of filing, and nine in ten within 31.7 months.
- Intent to use. 41.2% reached a Notice of Allowance, with only proof of use left to file. Even then, 45.1% of them were abandoned without a Statement of Use ever being filed, and of the ones that bought three or more extensions first, only 36.8% made it to registration.
- Filing without an attorney. 72.2% of Class 16 applications had an attorney on record, and those registered 68% of the time against 48.2% without one. 52.1% of unrepresented applicants who drew an Office Action never answered it. Your odds in Class 16.
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) | 170,311 | 23.6% |
| Pending | 40,949 | 5.7% |
| Abandoned | 257,922 | 35.7% |
| Cancelled / expired | 252,419 | 35% |
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 | 3,571 | |
| 2016 | 15,439 | |
| 2017 | 16,850 | |
| 2018 | 18,158 | |
| 2019 | 18,552 | |
| 2020 | 24,731 | |
| 2021 | 25,612 | |
| 2022 | 21,742 | |
| 2023 | 22,304 | |
| 2024 | 24,128 | |
| 2025 | 25,621 | |
| 2026 | 21,236 |
Source: USPTO bulk trademark feed. How we count.
International filings in Class 16 (Madrid System)
Where Class 16 marks are designated, and where they are refused
| Country / office | Designations | Provisional | Total refusals | Partial | Refusal rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States (US) | 3,088 | 98.5% | 77 | 6 | 2.5% |
| European Union (EM) | 3,039 | 34.2% | 56 | 19 | 1.8% |
| China (CN) | 2,713 | 75.6% | 481 | 1,082 | 17.7% |
| United Kingdom (GB) | 2,620 | 19.9% | 14 | 13 | 0.5% |
| Switzerland (CH) | 2,599 | 17.1% | 72 | 4 | 2.8% |
| Canada (CA) | 2,396 | 93.8% | 486 | 0 | 20.3% |
| Australia (AU) | 2,065 | 40.5% | 4 | 4 | 0.2% |
| Japan (JP) | 1,889 | 87.1% | 285 | 0 | 15.1% |
Most international Class 16 filers come from Germany (7,383), European Union (6,912), France (6,719), Switzerland (3,623), United Kingdom (3,243), United States (2,888).
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 16.
| # | Filer | Applications in this class |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | KONAMI CORPORATION | 2,577 |
| 2 | INTERNATIONAL DATA GROUP, INC. | 1,947 |
| 3 | Disney Enterprises, Inc. | 1,840 |
| 4 | MEAD CORPORATION, THE | 1,833 |
| 5 | INTERNATIONAL PAPER COMPANY | 1,734 |
| 6 | SCHOLASTIC INC. | 1,631 |
| 7 | INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION | 1,616 |
| 8 | American Greetings Corporation | 1,548 |
| 9 | ADVANCE MAGAZINE PUBLISHERS INC. | 1,477 |
| 10 | MEREDITH CORPORATION | 1,409 |
Recently registered in Class 16
The latest marks the USPTO registered in this class, on 29 September 2026.