All classes · Class 28
Class 28: Toys & Sporting Goods: trademark trends & clearance risk
Class 28 is the 9th busiest of the 45 classes, with 595,646 U.S. applications on record and 45,067 waiting for a decision. Its registration rate of 62.1% ranks 29th of 45, close to the 61.9% average. Filings fell 0.4% in 2025, and are still below the 36,401 filed in the peak year of 2021. 56.4% of applications filed from 2015 to 2019 drew an Office Action, the 3rd lowest share. The word used most in its live marks is "game", in 1,637 of them.
What it covers: Games and playthings; gymnastic and sporting articles; decorations for Christmas trees
Words already crowded in Class 28
The words that appear most often in the 242,924 live Class 28 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 "game" is easier to fit in, and harder to defend against the next one.
| Word | Live marks using it |
|---|---|
| game | 1,637 |
| golf | 1,514 |
| games | 1,190 |
| play | 1,154 |
| world | 964 |
| power | 881 |
| sports | 833 |
| pro | 815 |
| little | 813 |
| ball | 799 |
| baby | 790 |
| big | 768 |
| toys | 738 |
| club | 737 |
| fitness | 707 |
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 28, not only exact matches. If your mark has a logo, run it through the logo similarity search too.
Easy to confuse with Class 28
Filing in the wrong class means paying again, so check where your goods or services actually belong.
- Toys, games and sports equipment are Class 28. Video game software is Class 9. Class 9: Computers & Electronics
- Bicycles are Class 12. Exercise bikes are Class 28. Class 12: Vehicles
- Sports equipment is Class 28. Sportswear and sports shoes are Class 25. Class 25: Clothing
Not sure? Describe what you sell to the class recommender.
Wording that got through in Class 28
The descriptions of goods and services used most often in Class 28 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 |
|---|---|
| Pet toys | 15,161 |
| Toy building blocks | 12,111 |
| Infant toys | 11,254 |
| Body-building apparatus | 10,815 |
| Plush toys | 10,461 |
| Jigsaw puzzles | 10,196 |
| Fishing tackle | 9,227 |
| Dolls | 8,121 |
| Toy vehicles | 7,580 |
| Toy models | 7,573 |
| Toy for pets | 7,469 |
| Toy cars | 7,354 |
| Board games | 7,053 |
| Stuffed and plush toys | 6,393 |
| Water toys | 6,336 |
| Balloons | 5,685 |
| Inflatable toys | 5,455 |
| Card games | 5,398 |
| Christmas tree ornaments and decorations | 5,375 |
| Toy drones | 5,324 |
Each application's description split into its separate items, counted once per application. Source: USPTO records. Rebuilt weekly.
What examination did to Class 28 applications
The 83,868 Class 28 applications filed from 2015 to 2019, followed through their file histories. 63.2% of them registered 1.7 points better than the all-class average.
| What happened | Applications | Share | All 45 classes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Filed in this class | 83,868 | 100% | – |
| Drew at least one Office Action | 47,261 | 56.4% | 58.4% |
| Escalated to a final refusal | 7,768 | 9.3% | 8.9% |
| Abandoned for never answering one | 13,920 | 16.6% | – |
| Registered in the end | 53,017 | 63.2% | 61.5% |
Every share is of the 83,868 applications filed. Rows overlap: an application that drew an Office Action and then registered is counted in both.
Of the 47,261 Class 28 applications that drew one, 29.5% were abandoned for never answering or answering late. Of those that did answer, 80.4% 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 28 applications that registered did so within 12.2 months of filing, and nine in ten within 27.4 months.
- Intent to use. 42.2% 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 34.2% made it to registration.
- Filing without an attorney. 69.9% of Class 28 applications had an attorney on record, and those registered 67.1% of the time against 54.2% without one. 48.5% of unrepresented applicants who drew an Office Action never answered it. Your odds in Class 28.
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) | 173,326 | 29.1% |
| Pending | 45,067 | 7.6% |
| Abandoned | 208,690 | 35% |
| Cancelled / expired | 168,563 | 28.3% |
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 | 3,200 | |
| 2016 | 14,550 | |
| 2017 | 18,155 | |
| 2018 | 18,293 | |
| 2019 | 19,850 | |
| 2020 | 35,342 | |
| 2021 | 36,401 | |
| 2022 | 27,128 | |
| 2023 | 27,847 | |
| 2024 | 30,662 | |
| 2025 | 30,545 | |
| 2026 | 24,878 |
Source: USPTO bulk trademark feed. How we count.
International filings in Class 28 (Madrid System)
Where Class 28 marks are designated, and where they are refused
| Country / office | Designations | Provisional | Total refusals | Partial | Refusal rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States (US) | 2,802 | 97.2% | 66 | 7 | 2.4% |
| European Union (EM) | 2,776 | 27.4% | 81 | 16 | 2.9% |
| United Kingdom (GB) | 2,490 | 15.9% | 11 | 8 | 0.4% |
| China (CN) | 2,483 | 73.1% | 483 | 907 | 19.5% |
| Canada (CA) | 2,229 | 89.4% | 392 | 0 | 17.6% |
| Australia (AU) | 2,034 | 35.1% | 4 | 6 | 0.2% |
| Japan (JP) | 1,985 | 78.7% | 360 | 0 | 18.1% |
| Switzerland (CH) | 1,864 | 14.6% | 51 | 4 | 2.7% |
Most international Class 28 filers come from European Union (5,574), Germany (3,551), United States (3,400), France (3,224), Japan (2,179), United Kingdom (1,909).
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 28.
| # | Filer | Applications in this class |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MATTEL INC. | 41,159 |
| 2 | HASBRO, INC. | 9,799 |
| 3 | IGT | 3,699 |
| 4 | KONAMI CORPORATION | 2,960 |
| 5 | Callaway Golf Company | 2,714 |
| 6 | Konami Gaming, Inc. | 2,707 |
| 7 | Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Ltd. | 2,523 |
| 8 | THOSE CHARACTERS FROM CLEVELAND, INC. | 2,521 |
| 9 | JAKKS PACIFIC, INC. | 2,382 |
| 10 | MAISON BATTAT INC. | 2,206 |
Recently registered in Class 28
The latest marks the USPTO registered in this class, on 29 September 2026.