You designed a t-shirt. You priced it. You wrote the listing. You're about to hit publish on Amazon Merch or Etsy.
Pause for ten minutes first. Your design is about to enter the single most contested trademark class on the entire internet: Class 25.
This is the class that covers clothing, footwear, and headwear. It's also where Disney, Nike, the NFL, and a thousand other brands have entire enforcement teams scanning new listings every day. A wrong move here doesn't get you a warning email — it gets your listing removed, often within hours, and your seller account flagged.
This guide explains what Class 25 actually covers, what trips up POD sellers most often, and how to check whether the design you're about to launch is safe.
What Is Trademark Class 25? #
The Nice Classification system divides all goods and services into 45 classes. Each class groups together commercially-related goods, so a trademark filed in one class protects against confusingly similar marks for the goods in that class.
Class 25 covers clothing, footwear, and headwear for human beings. According to the USPTO's Nice Agreement adoption, this class contains roughly 180 subcategories, including:
- Outerwear and casual clothing: t-shirts, hoodies, jackets, coats, sweaters, dresses, jeans, shorts, pants, skirts, blouses
- Innerwear: underwear, lingerie, pajamas, robes
- Activewear: yoga pants, sports bras, leggings, athletic shorts
- Footwear: shoes, sneakers, sandals, boots, slippers, socks
- Headwear: hats, caps, beanies, headbands, scarves
- Accessories within the apparel context: belts, gloves, ties, wristbands
If you're a print-on-demand seller, almost everything you make is in this class. T-shirts, hoodies, tank tops, leggings, caps, beanies, socks — all Class 25.
Why Class 25 Matters Most for POD Sellers #
Three structural reasons make Class 25 the most-enforced class on POD platforms:
1. The biggest brand enforcers live here #
Class 25 isn't just a niche class — it's a primary class for Disney, Nike, Adidas, Under Armour, the NFL, the NBA, MLB, NCAA, Major League Soccer, every major sportswear brand, and every entertainment franchise that sells merchandise. These owners have dedicated teams whose only job is finding infringing Class 25 listings and filing takedowns.
2. Platforms have automated visual detection for Class 25 #
Amazon Brand Registry scans new listings against known protected designs using image-matching AI. Etsy does the same on reported listings. Merch by Amazon has additional content review on every submission. Class 25 designs — because they're flat, visual, and tied to common cultural references — are easier for image-matching algorithms to flag than, say, software (Class 9) or services (Class 35).
3. POD design culture leans into recognisable cultural elements #
Successful POD designs often play on familiar brands, characters, sports teams, or media franchises. That's exactly where the trademark conflict zone is. A "Star Wars-inspired" t-shirt that references the franchise visually or textually is a Class 25 conflict by default, regardless of how much you "changed" it.
What Class 25 Does NOT Cover (Common Mistakes) #
Several products that feel like clothing are actually in different classes. POD sellers regularly misclassify these and either over-register (wasting filing fees) or under-protect.
- Protective helmets → Class 9. Bike helmets, football helmets, motorcycle helmets — protective gear is Class 9 (electrical/scientific products), not Class 25.
- Heated apparel → Class 11. A jacket with built-in heating elements is classified by its electrical function, not its garment form.
- Pet apparel → Class 18. Dog sweaters, cat costumes, pet collars — all Class 18 (leather goods + pet products), not Class 25.
- Doll clothing → Class 28. Outfits made specifically for dolls or action figures are toys (Class 28), not apparel.
- Costumes (some types) → Class 28. Halloween costumes designed primarily as "amusement" items can be classified as toys, particularly for child sizes.
If you're a POD seller and your product is unambiguously human apparel that you wear, you're in Class 25 — full stop. The edge cases above are worth knowing so you don't get tripped up by them in filing or in disputes.
The Brands That Police Class 25 Hardest #
Not every Class 25 trademark owner is aggressive. But these are the ones POD sellers most commonly run into. If your design references any of them, expect a takedown:
- Disney (including Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel, ESPN-themed) — full-time enforcement team, brand-recognition AI deployed across major platforms
- Major sportswear: Nike, Adidas, Under Armour, Puma, New Balance, Reebok
- Sports leagues: NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, NCAA, and most college athletic departments
- Luxury fashion: Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Chanel, Hermès, Prada — extremely fast takedowns + occasional litigation
- Media franchises: Harry Potter (Warner Bros.), Game of Thrones (HBO), Pokémon (Nintendo/TPCi), Squid Game (Netflix)
- Celebrity / NIL marks: athletes (LeBron James, Cristiano Ronaldo), musicians (Taylor Swift, Beyoncé), and now any college athlete with a registered Name-Image-Likeness mark
A reference to any of these — even a subtle visual cue, a colour scheme, a font choice, or a phrase associated with the brand — is enough to trigger automated detection on platforms that have integrated brand protection systems.
How to Check If a Class 25 Design Is Safe #
Step 1: Search by name (wordmark check) #
Run any text on your design through the USPTO Trademark Search, filtered to Class 25. Include phonetic variants — "KLEEN" hits the same neighbours as "CLEAN". See our brand name trademark check guide for the full process.
Step 2: Visual / image search #
This is where text search fails and POD sellers get caught. Run your design through a visual trademark search that compares it against the USPTO image database using AI. Logos, symbols, characters, and design elements are catchable here but invisible to wordmark search.
Step 3: Reverse image search #
Google Images and TinEye on your design (and on any element you traced or referenced). If your design uses a font, symbol, or character that exists elsewhere in the marketplace, find out before launch.
Step 4: Cross-check the platforms #
Search Amazon, Etsy, and Redbubble for similar designs. If a major brand already sells something visually close to yours in Class 25, your listing will almost certainly be flagged.
Step 5: When in doubt, redesign #
If your design's appeal depends on the recognisability of a third-party brand or character, the design is built on top of someone else's IP. No amount of "20% change" or "stylized version" makes that safe. Build originality into the design itself, not into how thinly you slice the reference.
Red Flags: Don't Launch If #
- Your design references a known brand, character, athlete, or franchise — even obliquely
- Your text contains a registered slogan or tagline associated with another brand
- The colour scheme is identifiable as belonging to a sports team or major brand
- The font is a custom face known to belong to a brand identity (Disney's font, Nike's Futura usage, Coca-Cola's Spencerian script)
- You found a "Live" registered Class 25 mark that matches your design name or central element
- You found multiple sellers on Amazon / Etsy already removed for similar designs
- The reference is from a property currently in an active enforcement cycle (recent movie release, current sports season, viral trend)
Any one of these is a stop-the-launch signal. The cost of redesigning is a few hours. The cost of an account-wide ban is everything.
Frequently Asked Questions #
Do I need to file a trademark in Class 25 to sell t-shirts? #
No — you can sell without filing. Filing in Class 25 gives you exclusive rights to YOUR brand name within the class, but selling unbranded or generic apparel doesn't require a registration. Common law rights start the moment you sell.
What's the cheapest way to file in Class 25? #
The USPTO base filing fee is $350 per class for electronic applications (as of January 18, 2025). Class 25 has no special premium. Total cost: $350 + optional attorney fees. Cross-class filings (e.g., Class 25 + Class 35 for retail services) cost $350 × number of classes.
Can I file in Class 25 without an actual product on sale yet? #
Yes — file under "Section 1(b) intent to use." This reserves your mark while you build the product. You'll need to convert to "use in commerce" within six months of approval (extendable up to three years). Filing fee identical.
If I sell on Amazon Merch, do I need my own trademark? #
Not for the platform's basic operation, but you SHOULD if you're building a brand. Without your own registered mark, you can't use Amazon Brand Registry — and without Brand Registry, you have no defence against your own designs being scraped and resold by other sellers.
What if I get a Class 25 cease & desist letter? #
Take it seriously. Stop selling the design immediately while you assess. A C&D from a major brand in Class 25 is almost always followed by a marketplace takedown if you don't comply. Get a written response from a trademark attorney before replying — your response shapes the dispute.
Are "fair use" or "parody" defenses safe in Class 25? #
Sometimes, but the bar is high. Parody defence requires the design to clearly mock or comment on the brand, not just reference it. "Stylized" Mickey Mouse isn't parody. A clear satirical commentary on Disney as a corporation might qualify. When in doubt, the legal cost of arguing parody outweighs the redesign cost.
Why is Class 25 considered the most contested class? #
Three reasons compound: (1) the largest enforcers (Disney, Nike, NFL) live here; (2) platforms have the strongest automated detection here because visual matching works well on flat apparel designs; (3) POD design culture often plays on recognisable IP, creating more conflicts. The combination produces more takedowns in Class 25 than in any other class.
Related reading #
- How to Check If a Design Is Trademarked Before Selling — POD-focused design clearance
- How to Check If a Brand Name Is Trademarked — wordmark search guide
- What Happens When You Get a Trademark Takedown on Amazon or Etsy — platform takedown playbook
- What Is "Likelihood of Confusion"? — the legal test that decides Class 25 conflicts
Conclusion #
Class 25 is where POD sellers live, and it's where the legal landmines are densest. The good news: a ten-minute pre-launch check — name, visual, reverse image, platform — catches almost every conflict before it becomes a takedown. The bad news: every aggressive enforcer in apparel is watching this class, and the platforms have automated detection on their side.
If your design's appeal is original, you have nothing to fear from Class 25. If it leans on borrowed cultural recognition, redesign now while it costs you hours — not after the strike costs you the shop.
External resources #
- USPTO Trademark Search — search Class 25 filings
- USPTO: Nice Agreement current edition — official class definitions
- WIPO Nice Classification — international class system
- Amazon Brand Registry — platform-side enforcement infrastructure
Disclaimer: This article provides general information about Class 25 trademark scope and is not legal advice. For specific questions about whether a particular design or filing strategy is appropriate, consult a qualified trademark attorney.
