Korea Intellectual Property Office Revises Trademark Classifications to Add Crypto, AI Terms

The Korea Intellectual Property Office has revised the goods classification system used in trademark applications to add terms related to emerging industries including virtual assets, or cryptocurrencies, and artificial intelligence.

According to a statement released on April 7, the agency recently published an updated goods manual that adds new industry terms, including cryptocurrencies, in line with international classification standards. The manual serves as a reference for selecting the goods applicants seek to protect in trademark filings. The revision is set to make the legal classification of digital-asset-related services more specific and more practical for industry use.

The update includes cryptocurrency-related items alongside AI-based services, making the legal and administrative classification framework for the digital asset industry clearer. In particular, areas that had previously been ambiguous, such as blockchain-based services and digital asset trading and management services, have been brought into the classification system.

The goods manual is a reference guide that compares and organizes products based on their definitions, functions and uses. It has been revised continuously since its first publication in 2024. The agency said views of the material on its website have risen sharply from a year earlier, expanding its use as a practical reference.

The revision also reflects updates to the Nice Agreement, the international goods classification system. As a result, about 57,500 items were reorganized to align with the latest standards.

“Accurately selecting designated goods is central to trademark applications and securing trademark rights,” Nam Young-taek, director general of the Trademark and Design Examination Bureau at the Korea Intellectual Property Office, said in the statement. The office will continue to provide classifications that promptly reflect changes in industry and trading practices to improve convenience for applicants, he added.