Monthly Trademark Filing Report | January 2026 | Based on USPTO TSDR Data

Executive Summary

USPTO trademark filings came in at 47,018 applications in January 2026, marking a sharp 23.5% decline from the same month a year ago (61,446 filings in January 2025) and a 10.7% drop from December 2025 (52,688 filings). While the raw numbers suggest a slow start to the year, context matters considerably here: January 2025 was an unusually strong month that likely reflected a surge of year-end carry-over activity, and December is historically elevated by filers racing to beat calendar-year deadlines. Stripping out those seasonal distortions, January 2026 is broadly consistent with the mid-range of 2025's monthly run rate — and the class-level data tells a more nuanced story about where industry momentum is actually building.

1. Overall Filing Volume: A Seasonal Reset, Not a Retreat

At first glance, 47,018 total filings looks like a meaningful pullback. Against January 2025's 61,446, the year-over-year gap of roughly 14,400 applications is hard to ignore. But that January 2025 figure was an outlier by any measure — the single highest month in the entire 13-month dataset — and likely benefited from activity that was deferred from Q4 2024.

Viewed against the broader 2025 monthly range of 38,331 (February 2025) to 55,958 (September 2025), January 2026's 47,018 sits comfortably in the lower-middle tier — ahead of February 2025's post-holiday trough, roughly in line with July 2025 (54,856) when adjusted for the typical January dip, and only modestly below the 12-month 2025 average of approximately 51,500 filings per month.

The month-over-month decline from December 2025 (52,688 → 47,018, or -10.7%) is also consistent with the historical pattern of January deceleration following December's push. Practitioners should treat the December surge as the anomaly, not January's moderation.

Bottom line: January 2026 is not a contraction signal. It is a seasonal normalization against an elevated prior-year base.

2. NICE Class Activity: Services and Technology Dominate; Apparel Slips

The class-level breakdown for January 2026 reveals a market that remains firmly anchored in services and digital technology, with some notable shifts from December patterns.

Top 15 NICE Classes — January 2026

Rank	NICE Class	Description	Filings
1	041	Education & Entertainment Services	6,164
2	009	Electronics, Software & Hardware	5,461
3	025	Clothing & Apparel	5,141
4	035	Advertising & Business Services	4,668
5	042	Scientific & Technology Services	4,458
6	003	Cosmetics & Cleaning Preparations	2,506
7	005	Pharmaceuticals	2,300
8	021	Household & Kitchen Utensils	2,108
9	028	Games & Toys	2,105
10	016	Paper & Printed Materials	1,941
11	036	Financial & Insurance Services	1,730
12	020	Furniture	1,564
13	044	Medical & Veterinary Services	1,412
14	030	Food: Staples & Confectionery	1,288
15	011	Lighting & Heating Apparatus	1,275

Key Observations

Class 041 leads for the third consecutive month. Education and entertainment services (Class 041) again tops the rankings with 6,164 filings, reflecting continued investment in streaming, online learning, gaming, and live experience brands. The convergence of Netflix's multiple January filings and Disney's new marks in this space is consistent with this class's dominance.

Classes 009 and 042 together signal a sustained tech-branding wave. Software, hardware, and electronics (Class 009) with 5,461 filings and technology services (Class 042) with 4,458 filings combine for nearly 10,000 filings — roughly 21% of all January volume. This pairing consistently appears when companies are branding AI products, SaaS platforms, and connected devices, all of which the notable filings section (see below) directly corroborates.

Class 025 (Apparel) slipped 4.2% from December. The industry growth data confirms that apparel dropped from approximately 5,364 filings in December to 5,141 in January — a modest but notable pullback. Despite this, apparel retains its third-place position. The decline likely reflects the absence of holiday-season brand launches and the post-December normalization that typically affects consumer goods categories.

Class 028 (Games & Toys) is worth watching. At 2,105 filings, games and toys held its own in January — typically a post-holiday slow period for this category. This may reflect ongoing investment in gaming brands, AR/VR gaming platforms, and toy-line extensions tied to entertainment IP.

Class 044 (Medical & Veterinary Services) held steady at 1,412 — a quiet but consistent presence in the top 15 that reflects the persistent growth of health-tech, telehealth, and wellness brands entering the trademark system.

3. Registration Rates: Recent Cohorts Are Outperforming; Mid-2024 Remains a Soft Spot

The registration rate data covers cohorts filed between February 2024 and January 2025 — the window within which most applications would have completed initial examination and, for successful marks, reached registration.

Registration Rate by Filing Cohort

Cohort Month	Total Filed	Registered	Registration Rate
Jan 2025	61,446	28,372	46.2%
Feb 2025	38,331	—	(too recent)
Dec 2024	53,448	22,981	43.0%
Nov 2024	47,783	19,876	41.6%
Oct 2024	52,923	22,928	43.3%
Sep 2024	51,260	19,540	38.1%
Aug 2024	50,377	12,112	24.0% ⚠️
Jul 2024	50,668	14,348	28.3% ⚠️
Jun 2024	46,699	15,339	32.8%
May 2024	51,528	22,047	42.8%
Apr 2024	51,569	22,394	43.4%
Mar 2024	48,950	23,187	47.4% 🏆
Feb 2024	43,753	20,023	45.8%

Analysis

The January 2025 cohort is performing well. At 46.2% registration rate, the January 2025 cohort is tracking above the mid-2024 average and approaching the stronger registration rates seen in Q1 2024. This is encouraging for applicants who filed at the start of last year.

March 2024 leads all observed cohorts at 47.4%. This cohort — now approximately 22 months into prosecution — has achieved the highest registration rate in the dataset. This may reflect favorable examination conditions during that period or a higher proportion of experienced, well-counseled applicants in the filing pool.

The July–August 2024 cohorts are a significant outlier. Registration rates of just 28.3% and 24.0%, respectively, stand well below every other cohort in the dataset. Several explanations are plausible: these cohorts may still have a meaningful number of applications in active prosecution (extensions of time, responses outstanding, appeals); they may have experienced elevated refusal rates due to class or mark characteristics; or they may reflect a wave of pro se or less counseled filings that are progressing more slowly. Practitioners monitoring applications filed in summer 2024 should audit their dockets carefully — if these numbers do not improve materially over the next two to three months, they are likely to reflect genuine attrition rather than timing lag.

The overall registration rate corridor for mature cohorts appears to be 41%–47%. Cohorts with at least 18 months of runway and no anomalies cluster in this range, which can serve as a rough benchmark for client expectation-setting.

4. Notable Filings: AI Wearables, Streaming Worlds, and Nike's Housekeeping

January 2026's notable filings read like a dispatch from the near-future consumer technology landscape — with a few legacy brand maintenance filings rounding out the picture.

Apple — "N1" (Serial No. 99620324)

Filed: January 28, 2026

Apple's single-character mark "N1" is the filing most likely to generate broad industry speculation. Apple has a well-documented history of using alphanumeric placeholder marks ahead of hardware launches (see: "M1," "M2," and their chip lineage). An "N1" mark could signal a next-generation neural engine, a new product line identifier, or — given Apple's rumored wearables roadmap — a designation for an upcoming device category. The filing's class coverage (not listed in the data, but Class 009 would be the logical anchor) will be telling once the public record is fully populated. Watch this one closely.

Netflix — "NETFLIX V/RTUALS" and "EYELINE" (Multiple Serials)

Filed: January 23–26, 2026

Netflix filed at least three notable marks in January. "NETFLIX V/RTUALS" — with its stylized slash suggesting a virtual/real world bridge — points squarely at immersive or virtual reality content experiences. The mark's orthography deliberately evokes "virtuals" while embedding the brand name, a structurally clever filing. "EYELINE" was filed under two separate serial numbers (99611521 and 99612406), suggesting different class coverage — likely a split between production/entertainment services and technology hardware or wearables. An "eyeline" reference in the context of a streaming giant entering spatial computing or AR eyewear territory is significant. Netflix also filed "TOP9" (99607123), which appears to be a content or ranking format brand, consistent with their ongoing investment in chart-driven consumer engagement features.

Samsung — "VXT AI STUDIO" and "VXT SHADOW GEN."

Filed: January 22–23, 2026

Samsung's two "VXT"-prefixed marks bracket the AI creative tools space. "VXT AI STUDIO" (99610952) suggests a branded AI-powered content creation or video production platform, while "VXT SHADOW GEN." (99609497) could relate to AI-generated shadow rendering, a gaming graphics technology, or computational imaging pipeline branding. Together, these filings reinforce Samsung's positioning in enterprise and consumer AI tools as a competitive response to Adobe, Google, and OpenAI's own creative AI product brands.

Google — "ARIA AIR" (Serial No. 99611184)

Filed: January 23, 2026

Google's "ARIA AIR" filing is one of the more evocative marks of the month. "Aria" has associations with voice, melody, and — in the tech context — Google's prior AI assistant branding experiments. Paired with "Air," the mark strongly suggests a lightweight, wearable, or ambient AI product. This could be connected to Google's rumored smart glasses or an over-the-ear AI assistant device. The filing is consistent with the broader industry trend (also visible in the Apple N1 and Netflix Eyeline filings) of major platforms racing to establish trademark positions in the wearable AI space before product launches.

Disney — "DISNEYLANDIA" and "DISNEY PIXAR GATTO"

Filed: January 19 and 23, 2026

Disney's "DISNEYLANDIA" filing (two serial numbers, suggesting multiple class coverage) is geographically suggestive — "Landia" is a common Latin American Spanish suffix for theme park or entertainment destination branding. This could presage a new international park concept, a streaming brand extension for Spanish-language markets, or a gaming/metaverse environment. "DISNEY PIXAR GATTO" ("gatto" is Italian for "cat") most plausibly signals an upcoming Pixar animated feature or short-form content property. Disney's practice of filing marks well ahead of project announcements makes this a reliable early signal for entertainment IP watchers.

Nike — Core Brand Housekeeping (Multiple Serials)

Filed: January 21, 2026

Nike filed six marks on January 21, including two filings each for "NIKE" and for what appear to be design marks (empty mark identification fields, serials 99607513 and 99607538), plus single filings for "SWOOSH" and "JUST DO IT." This cluster of core IP renewals or new-class extensions for foundational marks is standard practice for major brands maintaining broad coverage across evolving commercial contexts — likely tied to new goods or services categories (digital goods, AI-driven products, or new retail channels) rather than any new campaign or product launch.

Amazon — "ROCKIN' GRANDMA'S" (Serial No. 99620856)

Filed: January 28, 2026

Amazon's filing of "ROCKIN' GRANDMA'S" via Amazon Technologies, Inc. has the hallmarks of a private-label brand — the kind of consumer goods brand Amazon routinely develops for its retail marketplace. The name is suggestive of a food, beverage, or home goods line with a folksy, heritage positioning. Separately, "EYEPOCKET" filed by Amazonia Holdings LLC (99618966) is worth noting — "Amazonia Holdings" is a known Amazon corporate affiliate vehicle used for brand filings, and "Eyepocket" follows the wearable/visual-tech naming pattern visible across the Netflix and Google filings this month.

5. Industry Growth Signals: Spirits Tick Up; Most Consumer Classes Cool

The month-over-month growth data offers a mostly muted picture for January, with only two classes posting positive growth and the balance registering modest declines from December's elevated totals.

Growth Leaders

Class 033 (Alcoholic Beverages / Spirits) — +4.2% The only notable positive mover among substantive goods classes, spirits and alcoholic beverage filings grew from 526 to 548 applications. This is a small absolute number but the direction is noteworthy: January is typically a slow month for spirits brand launches given the post-holiday reset. The uptick may reflect early positioning ahead of spring and summer launch windows, or continued momentum in craft spirits and ready-to-drink (RTD) categories. For practitioners with beverage clients, this is a gentle signal that the pipeline is not dormant.

Class B (Secondary filing category) — +3.8% This category (representing supplemental register or certification mark activity, depending on how Class B is coded in the underlying dataset) grew marginally from 53 to 55 applications. The volume is too small to draw firm conclusions, but consistent with a modest uptick in certification or collective mark filings.

Notable Declines

Class 043 (Food & Beverage Services / Restaurants) — -8.2% The sharpest decline among high-volume classes, dropping from approximately 1,378 to 1,265 filings. This is consistent with post-holiday restaurant industry activity cycles and may also reflect ongoing consolidation in food service brands following elevated 2025 filings.

Class 015 (Musical Instruments) — -8.0% A niche category with low absolute volume (87 → 80 filings), but the directional drop mirrors broader softness in consumer entertainment goods after the December holiday season.

Class 030 (Food Staples & Confectionery) — -7.8% The drop from 1,397 to 1,288 filings tracks the typical post-holiday pullback in food brand filings, which often spike in November–December around seasonal product launches.

Class 025 (Apparel) — -4.2% As noted above, apparel's 4.2% month-over-month decline is consistent with the seasonal pattern. The category remains large in absolute terms and is unlikely to sustain this dip beyond Q1.

Practitioner Implications

The January growth data sends a clear message: the near-term opportunity for new filing volume is concentrated in digital services, AI-adjacent technology, and entertainment, not in traditional consumer goods. Classes 041, 009, and 042 held dominant positions without the seasonal tailwinds that lift apparel and food in the back half of the year. Practitioners whose client bases skew toward technology, media, and AI product companies should expect continued strong demand. Those serving consumer goods, food and beverage, or apparel brands may see Q1 as a natural lighter period before spring campaign filings accelerate.

The spirits uptick in Class 033, while small, is worth monitoring for practitioners with beverage sector clients — if the trend continues into February and March, it could signal a structurally more active year for alcohol brand filings than 2025 delivered.

Conclusion

January 2026's headline number — 47,018 total filings, down 23.5% year-over-year — overstates the degree of market cooling when contextualized against the unusually strong January 2025 baseline and the predictable seasonal rhythm of post-December moderation. The underlying filing mix tells a more compelling story: the technology sector's trademark appetite shows no signs of slowing, with Apple, Google, Samsung, and Netflix all filing marks that point toward wearable AI devices and immersive virtual experiences. Class 041 and the combined 009/042 technology complex account for more than one in five January filings. Registration rate data confirms that recent cohorts are progressing at healthy rates — though the July–August 2024 cohorts warrant close monitoring as a potential prosecution quality signal.

February 2026 will be an important data point: if filings recover toward the 50,000–53,000 range consistent with mid-2025 monthly averages, January's dip will be confirmed as seasonal. If volume remains suppressed, a more structural reassessment may be warranted.

Data sourced from USPTO TSDR and public trademark records. All marks referenced are pending unless otherwise noted. Serial numbers and filing dates are as reported in the underlying dataset. This report is for informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice.

Trademark Filings in January 2026: Volume Pulls Back 23% Year-Over-Year as Tech Giants Signal AI and Wearables Push