All classes · Class 33
Class 33: Wine & Spirits: trademark trends & clearance risk
Class 33 is the 25th busiest of the 45 classes, with 222,679 U.S. applications on record and 14,440 waiting for a decision. Its registration rate of 55% ranks 40th of 45, below the 61.9% average. Filings fell 10.4% in 2025, and are still below the 11,831 filed in the peak year of 2021. 55.4% of applications filed from 2015 to 2019 drew an Office Action, the 2nd lowest share. The word used most in its live marks is "vodka", in 1,540 of them.
What it covers: Alcoholic beverages (except beers)
Words already crowded in Class 33
The words that appear most often in the 92,849 live Class 33 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 "vodka" is easier to fit in, and harder to defend against the next one.
| Word | Live marks using it |
|---|---|
| vodka | 1,540 |
| wine | 1,395 |
| whiskey | 1,029 |
| spirits | 957 |
| vineyards | 880 |
| tequila | 768 |
| vineyard | 760 |
| winery | 745 |
| red | 697 |
| wines | 695 |
| distillery | 677 |
| rum | 639 |
| cellars | 590 |
| old | 561 |
| bourbon | 557 |
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 33, not only exact matches. If your mark has a logo, run it through the logo similarity search too.
Easy to confuse with Class 33
Filing in the wrong class means paying again, so check where your goods or services actually belong.
- Wine and spirits are Class 33. Beer, and non-alcoholic versions of wine, are Class 32. Class 32: Light Beverages
Not sure? Describe what you sell to the class recommender.
Wording that got through in Class 33
The descriptions of goods and services used most often in Class 33 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 |
|---|---|
| Wine | 5,103 |
| Alcoholic beverages, except beer | 3,601 |
| Alcoholic beverages except beers | 2,720 |
| Distilled spirits | 2,481 |
| Wines | 2,206 |
| Spirits | 1,479 |
| Vodka | 1,184 |
| Liqueurs | 1,025 |
| Whiskey | 941 |
| Alcoholic beverages, except beers | 876 |
| Sparkling wines | 800 |
| Whisky | 763 |
| Distilled blue agave liquor | 760 |
| Alcoholic cocktails | 704 |
| Brandy | 560 |
| Distilled alcoholic beverages | 553 |
| Pre-mixed alcoholic beverages, other than beer-based | 545 |
| Hard seltzer | 518 |
| Hard cider | 486 |
| Red wine | 481 |
Each application's description split into its separate items, counted once per application. Source: USPTO records. Rebuilt weekly.
What examination did to Class 33 applications
The 49,024 Class 33 applications filed from 2015 to 2019, followed through their file histories. 51.6% of them registered 9.9 points worse than the all-class average.
| What happened | Applications | Share | All 45 classes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Filed in this class | 49,024 | 100% | – |
| Drew at least one Office Action | 27,159 | 55.4% | 58.4% |
| Escalated to a final refusal | 3,755 | 7.7% | 8.9% |
| Abandoned for never answering one | 10,743 | 21.9% | – |
| Registered in the end | 25,311 | 51.6% | 61.5% |
Every share is of the 49,024 applications filed. Rows overlap: an application that drew an Office Action and then registered is counted in both.
Of the 27,159 Class 33 applications that drew one, 39.6% were abandoned for never answering or answering late. Of those that did answer, 74.2% 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 33 applications that registered did so within 13.1 months of filing, and nine in ten within 32 months.
- Intent to use. 45.7% reached a Notice of Allowance, with only proof of use left to file. Even then, 50.1% of them were abandoned without a Statement of Use ever being filed, and of the ones that bought three or more extensions first, only 29.7% made it to registration.
- Filing without an attorney. 77% of Class 33 applications had an attorney on record, and those registered 56.7% of the time against 34.8% without one. 63.6% of unrepresented applicants who drew an Office Action never answered it. Your odds in Class 33.
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) | 62,616 | 28.1% |
| Pending | 14,440 | 6.5% |
| Abandoned | 93,641 | 42.1% |
| Cancelled / expired | 51,982 | 23.3% |
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 | 2,019 | |
| 2016 | 9,453 | |
| 2017 | 9,707 | |
| 2018 | 10,393 | |
| 2019 | 10,690 | |
| 2020 | 11,047 | |
| 2021 | 11,831 | |
| 2022 | 10,128 | |
| 2023 | 9,213 | |
| 2024 | 8,831 | |
| 2025 | 7,909 | |
| 2026 | 5,870 |
Source: USPTO bulk trademark feed. How we count.
International filings in Class 33 (Madrid System)
Where Class 33 marks are designated, and where they are refused
| Country / office | Designations | Provisional | Total refusals | Partial | Refusal rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States (US) | 1,796 | 93.5% | 44 | 7 | 2.4% |
| China (CN) | 1,748 | 47.3% | 459 | 193 | 26.3% |
| European Union (EM) | 1,489 | 26.3% | 62 | 7 | 4.2% |
| United Kingdom (GB) | 1,414 | 15.1% | 19 | 4 | 1.3% |
| Canada (CA) | 1,337 | 87.8% | 302 | 0 | 22.6% |
| Japan (JP) | 1,319 | 42.2% | 157 | 0 | 11.9% |
| Russia (RU) | 1,298 | 51% | 204 | 1 | 15.7% |
| Switzerland (CH) | 1,258 | 23.8% | 79 | 1 | 6.3% |
Most international Class 33 filers come from France (4,882), European Union (3,581), Italy (3,043), Germany (2,017), United Kingdom (1,274), Spain (1,182).
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 33.
| # | Filer | Applications in this class |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | E. & J. GALLO WINERY | 4,824 |
| 2 | THE WINE GROUP LLC | 4,596 |
| 3 | DIAGEO NORTH AMERICA, INC. | 1,976 |
| 4 | SAZERAC BRANDS, LLC | 1,709 |
| 5 | SUTTER HOME WINERY, INC. | 1,190 |
| 6 | E. & J. Gallo Winery | 1,100 |
| 7 | BRONCO WINE COMPANY | 1,007 |
| 8 | Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG | 998 |
| 9 | SAZERAC COMPANY, INC. | 993 |
| 10 | DELICATO VINEYARDS | 966 |
Recently registered in Class 33
The latest marks the USPTO registered in this class, on 29 September 2026.