Trademark Class 33 in Nepal — Alcoholic Beverages (What It Covers & How to File)

NICE Class 33 covers alcoholic beverages except beer — wines, spirits, liqueurs, cider and alcoholic preparations for making drinks. It is a goods class. In Nepal, home to traditional drinks like raksi, aila, tongba and chhyang as well as modern distilleries, you register a Class 33 trademark with the Department of Industry, and protection covers only the class you file in. Two key points: beer is Class 32, not Class 33; and the trademark protects the brand only — it is separate from the licences alcohol requires.

Key Takeaways

• Class 33 is the alcoholic-beverages class — wines, spirits, liqueurs and cider, but not beer.
• Beer is Class 32; every other alcoholic drink is Class 33.
• It includes traditional Nepali drinks, pre-mixed cocktails and alcoholic seltzers.
• It excludes non-alcoholic and de-alcoholised drinks (Class 32) and medicinal beverages (Class 5).
• A Class 33 trademark protects the brand only — it does not grant any licence to produce or sell alcohol.
• Register with the Department of Industry for a renewable 7-year term.

What does Trademark Class 33 cover?

Class 33 covers alcoholic beverages, except beers; and alcoholic preparations for making beverages. The unifying idea is alcoholic drinks other than beer — wines, fortified wines, cider and perry, spirits such as whisky, vodka, rum and gin, and liqueurs, along with alcoholic essences, fruit extracts and bitters. It also covers regional drinks like sake and rice wine, and modern products such as alcoholic seltzers and pre-mixed cocktails.

Full list of goods in Class 33

Below is the complete alphabetical list of Class 33 goods indications from the WIPO NICE Classification (13-2026 edition) — 39 entries in total. Use it to find the exact wording for your specification when you file in Nepal:

• Alcoholic beverages containing fruit
• Alcoholic beverages, except beer
• Alcoholic essences
• Alcoholic extracts
• Alcoholic fruit extracts
• Alcoholic seltzers
• Anise [liqueur]
• Anisette [liqueur]
• Aperitifs*
• Arrack [arak] / arak [arrack]
• Bitters
• Brandy
• Cider
• Cocktails*
• Curacao
• Digestifs [liqueurs and spirits]
• Distilled beverages
• Flavoured brewed alcoholic malt beverages, except beers / flavored brewed alcoholic malt beverages, except beers
• Gin
• Grain-based distilled alcoholic beverages
• Hydromel [mead] / mead [hydromel]
• Kirsch
• Liqueurs
• Makkoli
• Peppermint liqueurs
• Perry
• Piquette
• Pre-mixed alcoholic beverages, other than beer-based
• Rice alcohol
• Rice wine
• Rum
• Sake
• Soju
• Spirits [beverages]
• Sugarcane-based alcoholic beverages
• Vodka
• Whisky
• Wine
• Wine-based beverages

What Class 33 does not include

The main lines are beer (Class 32) and medicinal drinks (Class 5). Note these exclusions:

The rule of thumb: alcoholic drinks other than beer are Class 33, but beer, de-alcoholised drinks and non-alcoholic mixers are Class 32, and medicinal drinks are Class 5.

Who files in Class 33 in Nepal?

In Nepal, Class 33 is filed by distilleries and wineries, spirit and liqueur brands, and producers commercialising traditional drinks like raksi and rice wine under a brand. Because alcohol is a regulated, licensed trade, the trademark protects the brand name while separate excise and licensing rules govern production and sale. Confirm your class with the NICE Class Finder.

How to register a trademark in Class 33

Search the register for earlier liquor marks, confirm Class 33 fits (and that a beer isn't really Class 32), prepare your mark and specification, and file with the Department of Industry. It examines, publishes for the 90-day opposition window, and registers for a renewable 7-year term. Crucially, this is separate from the excise and trade licences alcohol requires. See how to register a trademark in Nepal.

Do you need more than one class?

Sometimes. A drinks business that makes spirits or wine (Class 33) and beer or soft drinks (Class 32), or runs a branded bar (Class 43), needs multiple classes. Because Nepal files one class per application with per-class fees, map your range first. See choosing the right class, and the neighbouring Class 32 (Beverages) and Class 34 (Tobacco).

A Nepal example

Take a Nepali distillery that produces a branded whisky and a bottled traditional raksi. Both spirits are Class 33, where the brand is registered. But if it also brews a beer, that is Class 32, and if it opens a branded bar or lounge, that hospitality service is Class 43. One drinks brand can span Class 33 for spirits, Class 32 for beer, and Class 43 for a bar — filing only in Class 33 leaves the beer and venue lines exposed. And in every case, the trademark is separate from the excise licence the business must hold.

Getting Class 33 right: common mistakes

The defining Class 33 quirk is beer. Every alcoholic drink except beer is Class 33; beer alone sits in Class 32. A producer of both must file in both classes. A second common error is assuming the trademark authorises the trade — it does not. A Class 33 registration protects the brand name; producing, bottling and selling alcohol still require the appropriate excise and trade licences.

A third pitfall is mixers and flavourings: an alcoholic pre-mixed cocktail is Class 33, but a non-alcoholic mixer or soda is Class 32, and a culinary flavouring is Class 30. Specify the actual drinks you make rather than claiming the whole heading, so your Class 33 registration is precise, and add Class 32 or a hospitality class where your business genuinely extends there.

Why precise Class 33 filing matters

Spirits and wines are premium, reputation-driven products where the label is the brand, so a precise, early registration protects real value — and lets you act against counterfeit or passing-off, a real risk for popular liquor brands. Naming your real goods — "whisky", "wine", "rice wine" — makes the application easier to register and clearer to enforce, and keeps the boundary clean against Class 32 beer and mixers. Because Nepal is first-to-file, the date you lodge secures your priority. Remember, too, the trademark never replaces the licence to trade in alcohol.

In short

Class 33 is the alcoholic-drinks class — wines, spirits, liqueurs and traditional drinks like raksi, but not beer. The quirk to remember: beer is Class 32, and the trademark protects the brand only, never the licence to make or sell alcohol. Get that right, name your real goods, and file early to protect a liquor, wine or spirit brand. Popular liquor names are heavily counterfeited, so a registered Class 33 mark — held alongside your excise licence — is what lets you act against fakes trading on your label. And because Nepal is first-to-file, the date you lodge the application is the date your priority is secured.

Class 33 filing checklist

• Confirm your drink is alcoholic and not beer — beer is Class 32.
• Remember the trademark does not replace any excise or trade licence.
• Check the exclusions — Class 32 and 5.
• Search the register for similar liquor marks.
• Draft a precise goods specification; add Class 32 or a hospitality class if relevant.
• File with the Department of Industry and track to registration.

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Register your Class 33 trademark

Protect your wine, spirit or liquor brand — the trademark, separate from your excise licence. Find your class with the NICE Class Finder, screen with the Conflict Checker, then register your trademark with our team. Talk to an IP expert if your range spans spirits, beer and a bar.