Information about the annual versions of NCL

January 10, 2013

As from 2013, the Committee of Experts of the Nice Union revises the Nice Classification annually.  The corresponding annual versions of each edition are published and enter into force on January 1 every year.

Each new version of the Classification includes all changes adopted by the Committee of Experts since the adoption of the previous version. “Changes” consist in adding new goods and services to, and deleting goods and services from the Alphabetical List, and modifying the wording of the indications of goods and services, the Class Headings and the Explanatory Notes.

New editions continue to be published and enter into force usually every five years.  Each new edition of the Classification includes all changes and amendments adopted annually by the Committee of Experts during the whole five-year revision period.  “Amendments” means any transfer of goods or services from one class to another or the creation of any new class.

The edition of the publication is indicated as before with an Arabic number between round brackets next to the abbreviation NCL, followed now by a hyphen and the year of the entry into force of the new version, as follows:  NCL(10-2013), i.e. Nice Classification, 10th edition, version 2013.

As from the 10th edition, version 2013, the Nice Classification will be published online only.  The 10th edition published in June 2011 is the last printed edition.

These decisions have been made by the Committee of Experts at its 21st session, held in Geneva, from November 22 to 26, 2010 (see the Report of the session, document CLIM/CE/21/3, paragraphs 21. and 22.)