Class 42: Scientific & Technology Services
Class 42 is where software companies live, or at least, where half of them live. It covers scientific and technological services, research, design, and software as a service. It is the fourth most used of the 45 classes, appearing on about three times as many registrations as the average, 91,783 between September 2021 and September 2026, and the line between it and class 9 is the single most consequential class decision a technology business makes.
What class 42 covers
The official Nice heading:
Scientific and technological services and research and design relating thereto; industrial analysis, industrial research and industrial design services; quality control and authentication services; design and development of computer hardware and software.
In practice: SaaS platforms, software development, IT consultancy, web and app design, product and industrial design, scientific research, and testing and certification services.
The mistake I see most often
A SaaS business files class 42, correctly, and stops.
Two years later they launch a mobile app, or start letting enterprise customers download an on-premises version, or publish a downloadable report that becomes a lead magnet. All three are class 9, and none of them is covered.
For software businesses especially, where the delivery model changes as the company grows, it is worth thinking about class 9 at the point of filing even if you are not downloading anything yet. Unfortunately, you can’t add classes once your application has been filed, even if it hasn’t been registered yet. You have to begin a new application, which usually doubles your cost.
This is one of the reasons many people choose a professional representative like us when they file the second time around, and often wish they had used us the first time. Our goal is to save you money as well as time.
When you definitely need class 42
- You sell access to software: SaaS, PaaS, a platform, a web app on subscription
- You build software, websites or apps for other people
- You provide IT consultancy, hosting or technical support
- You are a scientific, research, testing or certification business
- You are an architect, engineer or product designer
When you might need class 42 without realising
Class 42 is broader than “tech company”, and businesses that would never describe themselves that way end up in it.
Design is the big one. “Design services” is claimed by 4,929 recent registrations in class 42, and that covers industrial design, product design and architectural design, not just screens. A furniture maker who also designs to commission needs class 42 alongside class 20.
Also frequently missed:
- A lab or inspection business. Quality control, testing and authentication are class 42 services
- A retailer that offers its own technology, such as a recommendation engine or a logistics tool, to other businesses as an online service. Licensing the software itself is class 45
- A manufacturer offering design-and-build to other brands
- A fashion or beauty brand with its own app. The app is class 9 if downloadable and class 42 if it runs in a browser, and neither is covered by the product class
- Any business that says “platform” in its pitch. That word almost always means a class 42 service is in there somewhere
The question is not whether you think of yourself as a technology business. It is whether part of what you sell is built, designed, hosted or tested by you for someone else.
Still not obvious? The free class tools below are a good place to start, and we are happy to talk it through if the answer is not clear.
What businesses actually claim in class 42
| Term | Marks using it | Share of class 42 | How common |
|---|---|---|---|
| software as a service [SaaS] | 11,088 | 12.1% | Most use this |
| design and development of computer hardware and software | 6,323 | 6.9% | Recommended |
| platform as a service [PaaS] | 6,289 | 6.9% | Recommended |
| computer programming | 5,152 | 5.6% | Recommended |
| scientific and technological services and research | 4,932 | 5.4% | Recommended |
| design services | 4,929 | 5.4% | Recommended |
| computer software design | 4,716 | 5.1% | Recommended |
| software as a service | 4,341 | 4.7% | Recommended |
| software development | 4,163 | 4.5% | Recommended |
| computer software consultancy | 3,772 | 4.1% | Recommended |
Most of the top ten terms are software. Class 42 is nominally a broad scientific services class; in reality the UK register has turned it into the software services class.
Class 42 or class 9? The question that actually matters
This is the one to get right, and the filing data shows exactly how the register splits.
Class 9 is for software as a product. Something downloaded, installed or bought. 19,301 recent UK registrations claim computer software in class 9, and 5,410 claim downloadable software, and the word “downloadable” is doing deliberate work there.
Class 42 is for software as a service. Something accessed rather than owned. 11,088 recent registrations claim software as a service [SaaS], 6,289 claim platform as a service [PaaS].
The deciding question is not what the software does. It is how the customer gets it. A downloadable app is class 9. The same functionality delivered through a browser on subscription is class 42.
Plenty of businesses genuinely need both, a platform with a companion app, for instance. What causes trouble is assuming one covers the other. It does not, and a competitor filing in the class you left open is a real and recurring problem.
What class 42 does not cover
Downloadable anything is class 9. Software, apps, electronic publications (6,966 recent registrations), downloadable media. If the customer ends up with a file, it is class 9.
Business consultancy is class 35. IT consultancy is class 42; general business consultancy is class 35 (6,267 recent registrations). Firms that advise on both strategy and technology usually need both.
Training people to use your software is class 41. Building it is 42; teaching it is 41.
Hosting a marketplace is often class 35. If your platform’s real service is connecting buyers and sellers, that is retail or business services, not a technology service, even though you built the technology.
Where these terms actually live
| Term | Belongs to | Marks using it |
|---|---|---|
| computer software | Class 9 | 19,301 |
| downloadable electronic publications | Class 9 | 6,966 |
| downloadable software | Class 9 | 5,410 |
| business consultancy | Class 35 | 6,267 |
Each of these is a separate registration. A mark in class 42 does not cover any of them.
Is class 42 the right class for you?
If you sell access to software, develop software for others, design products or websites, or provide scientific, research, testing or certification services, class 42 is one of yours. Whether class 9 is the other one depends on how your customers actually receive what you sell.
Our free class tools will build a specification from real UK filings, using wording the IPO has already accepted.
Common questions about class 42
My product is a web app on subscription. Class 9 or class 42?
Class 42. Nothing is downloaded, so nothing is a product. The customer is buying access, which is a service. Claim software as a service, and describe what the software does. If you also offer a downloadable version or a mobile app, add class 9.
Answered by Jonathan Paton, Founder & CEOI have a mobile app. Does that change the answer?
Yes. An app downloaded from a store is a downloadable product in class 9. Most app businesses that also run a back-end platform need both 9 and 42, and that pairing is very common on the register.
Answered by Jonathan Paton, Founder & CEODoes class 42 protect the name of my software, or my company?
Whichever you registered. A trademark protects the mark you applied for, in the classes you claimed. If your company name and your product name are different and both matter commercially, they are two separate decisions, and often two separate applications.
Answered by Jonathan Paton, Founder & CEOI build websites for clients. Is that class 42?
Yes. Website design and development is class 42. If you also run their advertising or manage their social media, that part is class 35, and agencies offering a full service usually need both.
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.
Four FREE ways to build your class 42 terms
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