Trademark Class 38: Telecommunications
Carrying other people's messages and signals. A narrow class, and a commonly mis-selected one: most apps are not telecoms businesses.
“Telecommunications services.”
Official class heading, Nice Agreement, Eleventh Edition. Published by the USPTO.
Typical goods and services in class 38
- Mobile and fixed-line telephone services
- Internet service provision
- Messaging and video-calling services
- Broadcasting and streaming transmission
- Providing access to online forums and chatrooms
Example of pre-approved USPTO wording for this class: Telecommunications services. Using the USPTO’s own ID Manual language keeps your filing fee at the base rate — describing your goods in your own words carries a surcharge of $200 per class.
Commonly confused with class 38
These look like they belong here and do not. Each one is a separate class with a separate $350 government fee, and a class cannot be added to an application once it has been filed.
The content being transmitted
Class 41 — Education, training and entertainment
Software and apps
Class 9 — Software, apps and electronics
Online platforms and SaaS
Class 42 — SaaS, IT and design services
Telecoms equipment and hardware
Class 9 — Software, apps and electronics
Filing in one class
A single-class application in class 38 costs $350 in USPTO government fees, paid to the government, plus our flat fee of $199 — $549 in total. Every additional class is another $350. Government fees are current as of 18 January 2025.
Work out how many classes you need Check if the name is taken
This page describes how the USPTO groups goods and services in general. It is not legal advice about your application, and the lists above are written for the common case rather than being exhaustive. Which classes you actually need depends on what you sell, and a licensed attorney confirms them before anything is filed.
Classes either side of this one
Class 36 — Financial, insurance and real estate services
Money and property services — banking, lending, payments, insurance, investment and real estate.
Class 37 — Construction, installation and repair
Building things, installing things and fixing things — the trades, in one class.
Class 39 — Transport, delivery and travel
Moving people or goods from one place to another, storing them, and arranging travel.
Class 40 — Manufacturing and treatment of materials
Making or altering something to a customer's order. Custom manufacturing, printing and finishing all sit here — which is where print-on-demand businesses often belong.