Class 15: Musical Instruments
Class 15 is musical instruments: guitars, pianos, drums, synthesisers, harmonicas and everything else you play, plus the accessories that go with them, such as strings, picks, straps, cases and music stands. It’s the 43rd most used of the 45, with 1,996 UK registrations between September 2021 and September 2026, which is about 95% fewer registrations than the average class. It’s a small, specialist class, and the main risk is assuming the gear around the instrument sits here too.
What class 15 covers
This is the official Nice heading, in full:
Musical instruments; music stands and stands for musical instruments; conductors’ batons.
The heading is short, and the class is mostly what it says. Acoustic and electronic instruments both sit here, along with the parts and accessories made for them: strings, drumsticks, plectrums, tuning forks, rosin, straps and cases. Musical boxes are here too. The electronics that record, amplify or play back the sound mostly sit in class 9.
When you definitely need class 15
- You make or sell musical instruments, acoustic or electronic
- You make synthesisers, keyboards or electronic drum kits
- You sell instrument accessories such as strings, picks, straps, drumsticks or rosin
- You make instrument cases, music stands or instrument stands
- You make musical boxes or conductors’ batons
When you might need class 15 without realising
Because it’s so specialist, class 15 mostly surprises businesses on the edges of music.
- Accessory and merchandise brands. Branded plectrums and guitar straps are class 15, with guitar picks on 258 registrations and guitar straps on 159. A band or music brand selling picks as merchandise needs class 15 for them.
- Bag and case makers. Cases for musical instruments are class 15, on 371 registrations, not class 18 with other bags.
- Gift and homeware brands. Musical boxes are class 15, on 336 registrations, as long as they’re not sold as toys.
- Pedal and effects makers. Pedals for musical instruments are claimed on 224 class 15 registrations. The wording matters here, as the questions below explain.
Not sure whether your music product is class 15 or class 9? The free class tools below show you where businesses like yours actually file, or you can give us a call.
What businesses actually claim in class 15
These are the terms that turn up most often in recent UK class 15 registrations:
| Term | Marks using it | Share of class 15 | How common |
|---|---|---|---|
| musical instruments | 1,057 | 53.0% | Essential |
| guitars | 517 | 25.9% | Most use this |
| electronic musical instruments | 440 | 22.0% | Most use this |
| musical accessories | 403 | 20.2% | Most use this |
| music stands | 374 | 18.7% | Most use this |
| cases for musical instruments | 371 | 18.6% | Most use this |
| musical boxes | 336 | 16.8% | Most use this |
| harmonicas | 324 | 16.2% | Most use this |
| stands for musical instruments | 319 | 16.0% | Most use this |
| stringed musical instruments | 291 | 14.6% | Most use this |
The broad term leads. Musical instruments is on 1,057 registrations, followed by guitars on 517 and electronic musical instruments on 440. Accessories make up much of the rest of the table: stands, cases, picks and strings.
The numbers are small, which usually means less crowding for a new name. It also means a specific specification stands out. Naming the instruments and accessories you actually sell costs nothing extra within the class and makes clear where your brand trades.
What class 15 does not cover
Amplifiers, microphones and audio electronics are class 9. Guitar and instrument amplifiers are class 9, and so are microphones, headphones and metronomes. Microphones appears on 4,552 class 9 registrations and headphones on 9,696. A guitar brand selling its own amps needs class 9 as well.
Recorded and downloadable music is class 9; printed music is class 16. Downloadable music files are claimed on 4,005 class 9 registrations. Printed sheet music and music books are class 16.
Toy instruments are class 28. A toy drum, toy piano or toy music box is a plaything, not an instrument, so it sits with toys in class 28.
Lessons, gigs and studios are services. Music tuition, live concerts and recording studios are class 41, where music concerts appears on 2,916 registrations and recording studio services on 1,461. Renting out instruments is class 41 too. Repairing and tuning instruments is class 37, and a music shop is a class 35 retail service.
Where these terms actually live
| Term | Belongs to | Marks using it |
|---|---|---|
| headphones | Class 9 | 9,696 |
| microphones | Class 9 | 4,552 |
| downloadable music files | Class 9 | 4,005 |
| music concerts | Class 41 | 2,916 |
| recording studio services | Class 41 | 1,461 |
Each of these is a separate registration. A mark in class 15 does not cover any of them.
The mistake I see most often
The mistake is focusing only on the physical instrument. Class 15 protects the guitar, the keyboard or the drum kit. It doesn’t protect the lessons, the gigs, the recordings or the sheet music that often carry the same name.
A music school with its own-brand instruments is a good example. The instruments are class 15. The lessons are class 41. The downloadable practice tracks are class 9, and the printed tutor books are class 16. File only class 15 and the part of the business customers pay for every week, the teaching, isn’t covered.
The practical fix is to list everything that carries your name, from the instrument to the lesson to the download, and check each one. A UK application can’t have classes added later, so it’s worth getting the list right at the start.
Is class 15 the right class for you?
If you make or sell musical instruments, synthesisers, strings, picks, straps, drumsticks, instrument cases, stands or musical boxes under your own brand, class 15 is very likely yours. If you also sell amplifiers or recordings, print music, make toys or offer lessons, look at classes 9, 16, 28 and 41 as well.
Our free class tools build a specification from wording already accepted on real UK filings, so you can see what businesses like yours claim before you commit.
Common questions about class 15
Is a guitar amplifier class 15?
No. Amplifiers for musical instruments are class 9, with other audio electronics. So are microphones and metronomes. The guitar itself is class 15, so a brand selling guitars and amps needs both classes.
Which class are effects pedals?
It depends on the wording. The UKIPO list accepts sound effects pedals for musical instruments in class 15, but lists effects pedals for guitars and wah-wah pedals in class 9. Tuners split the same way: tuning apparatus for musical instruments is class 15, while electronic tuners are class 9. A pedal brand should check its exact wording, and may want both classes.
Is a music school class 15?
No. Music tuition is a class 41 service, and so is renting out instruments. A school only needs class 15 if it sells instruments or accessories under its own name. Repairing and tuning instruments is class 37.
Is a music box class 15 or class 28?
It depends what it’s sold as. A musical box, the kind you wind up and keep, is class 15. A toy music box made for children to play with is class 28, along with other toy instruments.
About these figures. Last researched 23 September 2026, from UK trademarks registered between September 2021 and September 2026 whose entry in this class is still active. That is current drafting practice rather than the historical register. Terms shown are those most frequently used in that period.
Four FREE ways to build your class 15 terms
Start with whichever you already have. They all live in the same place.
Let us read your websiteBest if your site already describes what you sell.Start this tool →4Free AI toolAnswer a few questionsBest if you are pre-launch, or your site does not tell the whole story.Start this tool →Is your brand name actually free to use?
Classes are half the picture. The other half is whether somebody already holds your name in them. Our free search checks the UK register in seconds, no sign up and nothing to pay.
0161 833 5400