1401.10(a) Legal Services Transferred to International Class 45
Effective January 1, 2007, legal services were transferred from Class 42 to Class 45. Class 42 is now generally limited to computer, scientific, technological, engineering, and design services.
In 2002, when the Nice Agreement was amended to add three new service classes, Class 42 was restructured, but legal services remained in Class 42. However, over the five-year revision period that led to the 9th edition, it became apparent that Class 42 was not the most appropriate class for these services. The ultimate decision to include these services in Class 45 was based on an item in the class heading for Class 45 - "security services for the protection of property and individuals." The Committee of Experts reasoned that legal services are an extension of the security services already in Class 45. Security services provide for the protection of property and individuals, and the enforcement of that security is in the hands of the legal profession.