Class 45: Legal & Personal Services
Class 45 is the last class, and the most varied: legal services, intellectual property licensing, physical security and guarding, dating and social networking, funeral services, and personal services such as babysitting, pet sitting, dog walking and wedding planning. It’s the nineteenth most used of the 45 classes, with 24,826 UK registrations between September 2021 and September 2026, which is about 20% fewer registrations than the average class. It’s often treated as a catch-all, which is exactly why so many businesses end up with the wrong class next to it.
What class 45 covers
This is the official Nice heading, in full:
Legal services; security services for the physical protection of tangible property and individuals; dating services, online social networking services; funerary services; babysitting.
There’s no single theme here, so it helps to think of three groups. The first is legal and rights services, including licensing intellectual property. The second is physical security, protecting people and property. The third is personal and social services that don’t fit anywhere else: dating, social networking, funerals, and help at home such as babysitting and pet sitting.
The mistake I see most often
The mistake is treating “advice” as one service. It isn’t. Legal advice is class 45, business advice is class 35, financial advice is class 36 and technical advice is class 42. The word is the same, but the classes aren’t.
Take a consultancy that helps small companies with contracts, growth plans, funding and their IT. That’s four kinds of advice and four classes. File only class 45 because “we give advice” and the name covers the contracts work, but a competitor could offer business, financial or IT consultancy under the same name without stepping into your registration.
When a business comes back to us for a second application, the story is usually the same: it grew in a direction the first specification didn’t cover. You can’t add a class once the application is in, so it’s a new application and a new fee. Spend ten minutes now writing down every kind of help you give clients, and match each one to its class before you file.
When you definitely need class 45
- You provide legal services, legal research or dispute resolution such as mediation
- You license your brand, software or other intellectual property to others
- You run a security, guarding or alarm monitoring business
- You run a dating service or an online social network
- You’re a funeral director, or you offer personal services such as babysitting, pet sitting or dog walking
When you might need class 45 without realising
The businesses I see miss class 45 usually think of themselves as tech companies, brand owners or local service providers.
- Software companies that license their product. Granting licences is a class 45 service, separate from the software itself. Software licensing appears on 1,050 registrations and licensing of software on 755.
- Brands that license their name. If you let other businesses use your brand for a fee, licensing of intellectual property is a class 45 service, claimed on 896 registrations.
- Community and social apps. If members build profiles and connect with each other, that’s social networking, and online social networking services appear on 3,087 registrations.
- Pet care businesses. Dog walking and pet sitting are class 45. Dog walking services appear on 536 registrations and pet sitting on 363.
Not sure whether what you do is class 45 or one of its neighbours? 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 45
These are the terms that turn up most often in recent UK class 45 registrations:
| Term | Marks using it | Share of class 45 | How common |
|---|---|---|---|
| legal services | 4,468 | 18.0% | Most use this |
| online social networking services | 3,087 | 12.4% | Most use this |
| legal research | 1,295 | 5.2% | Recommended |
| legal support services | 1,171 | 4.7% | Recommended |
| legal advice | 1,159 | 4.7% | Recommended |
| legal consultancy services | 1,144 | 4.6% | Recommended |
| software licensing | 1,050 | 4.2% | Recommended |
| security services | 1,047 | 4.2% | Recommended |
| internet-based social networking services | 1,041 | 4.2% | Recommended |
| security services for the protection of property and individuals | 1,035 | 4.2% | Recommended |
Legal services dominate the table. Legal services is claimed on 4,468 registrations, with legal research (1,295), legal advice (1,159) and several other legal terms close behind. Law firms and legal service providers tend to list each part of what they do separately.
The rest of the table shows how mixed the class is: online social networking services, software licensing and security services (1,047) all sit near the top. A security company and a dating app share this class but have nothing else in common, so naming your own service matters more here than almost anywhere.
What class 45 does not cover
Business advice is class 35. Legal advice is class 45, but advising on how to run a business is class 35, where business consultancy appears on 6,267 registrations. A firm offering both legal and commercial advice usually needs both.
Financial advice is class 36. Advising on money, investments or pensions is a financial service, where financial consultancy appears on 2,121 registrations. Legal and financial advice are easily mixed up in one specification, but they’re different classes.
Cyber security is class 42. Class 45 covers physical security for people and property. Protecting computer systems is a technology service in class 42, where computer security consultancy appears on 1,565 registrations.
Security equipment is class 9. Guarding and monitoring are class 45 services, but cameras and alarms sold under your brand are goods in class 9, where security cameras appear on 1,341 registrations. A security firm with its own equipment range needs both.
Where these terms actually live
| Term | Belongs to | Marks using it |
|---|---|---|
| security cameras | Class 9 | 1,341 |
| business consultancy | Class 35 | 6,267 |
| financial consultancy | Class 36 | 2,121 |
| computer security consultancy | Class 42 | 1,565 |
Each of these is a separate registration. A mark in class 45 does not cover any of them.
Is class 45 the right class for you?
If you provide legal services, license intellectual property, guard people or property, run a dating service or social network, or offer funeral, babysitting, pet sitting or other personal services, class 45 is very likely yours. If you also give business or financial advice, provide cyber security or sell security equipment, look at classes 35, 36, 42 and 9 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 45
Is a dating app class 45 or class 9?
Usually both. The dating service itself is class 45, and dating services appear on 727 registrations. The app people download is class 9. If the platform runs in a browser, the software side can fall in class 42 as well.
Answered by Jonathan Paton, Founder & CEOIs cyber security class 45?
No. Class 45 security is physical: guards, close protection and alarm monitoring, where monitoring of burglar and security alarms appears on 287 registrations. Protecting networks and data is class 42. A firm offering both needs both classes.
Answered by Jonathan Paton, Founder & CEOIs software licensing class 45 or class 42?
Licensing is class 45, because granting the right to use something is treated as a legal service. Providing the software online is class 42, and downloadable software is class 9. Most software businesses that license their product claim class 45 alongside one or both of the others.
Answered by Jonathan Paton, Founder & CEOWhat class is a wedding planner?
Planning and arranging wedding ceremonies is class 45. Catering for the wedding is class 43, and organising the entertainment can fall in class 41. A wedding business that plans, caters and entertains usually needs more than one class.
Answered by Jonathan Paton, Founder & CEOAbout 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.
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