Carl Zeiss – South African trademarks
Updated 8 November 2026
ZEISS is a German optics and optoelectronics company. It makes spectacle lenses, camera and cinema lenses, microscopes and medical and industrial optics.
How Carl Zeiss has built and protected its brands in South Africa – its trademark portfolio, where it expanded, how quickly its marks are registered, and who it competes with.
Download report (PDF)Carl Zeiss trademarks in 45 seconds
Watch the video on its own page, with transcript – https://snz.co.za/trademark-country-selection-direct/carl-zeiss-south-african-trademarks/overview-video.html
A portfolio built over time
Carl Zeiss filed its first South African trademark in 1937 and has filed 198 since; its busiest year was 2017, with 19 new filings. The chart shows its filings per year from 1970.
Trademarks by filing year, up to 2024; applications still pending are not included.
The names behind the portfolio
Over the years the group has filed under several names – earlier company names, holding companies and subsidiaries. We count them together.
| Name | Marks | Filing years |
|---|---|---|
| Carl Zeiss | 76 | 1953–2024 |
| Carl Zeiss Vision | 68 | 1986–2023 |
| Carl Zeiss Vision South Africa | 29 | 1937–2005 |
| Carl Zeiss Meditec | 20 | 1980–2024 |
| Carl Zeiss Stiftung | 20 | 1953–2003 |
| Carl Zeiss Microscopy | 4 | 2008–2017 |
| Carl Zeiss Optronics | 4 | 1996–2011 |
| Carl Zeiss Consumer Products | 3 | 2023–2023 |
Where Carl Zeiss expanded its business
Trademark classes show what a business sells. Carl Zeiss' portfolio is concentrated in electronics & software (class 9), medical devices (class 10), tech & it services (class 42). Its most recent moves were into education & entertainment (2024), clothing (2022), toys & sports goods (2022).
Carl Zeiss trademarks: expansion into trademark classes, 1970–2024
Watch the video on its own page, with transcript – https://snz.co.za/trademark-country-selection-direct/carl-zeiss-south-african-trademarks/class-expansion-video.html
Each tile is a class; it lights up when the group first files in it and darkens with more filings; the dots show how many of its closest rivals also file in that class. The chart compares the number of classes used with its rivals. The video runs from 1970; classes entered earlier are lit from the start.
| Class | Marks | Share | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Electronics & software | 128 | 64.6% | 1937 |
| 10 Medical devices | 17 | 8.6% | 1953 |
| 42 Tech & IT services | 11 | 5.6% | 1988 |
| 35 Advertising & retail | 7 | 3.5% | 1988 |
| 5 Pharmaceuticals | 6 | 3.0% | 1981 |
| 11 Lighting & appliances | 4 | 2.0% | 1982 |
| 21 Kitchenware | 4 | 2.0% | 1976 |
| 44 Medical & beauty care | 3 | 1.5% | 2019 |
The brands Carl Zeiss protects most
The word marks and logo names Carl Zeiss has filed most often – the same brand filed in more classes, in more versions or again over the years.
| # | Brand | Trademarks | Classes | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ZEISS | 20 | 11 | 1972–2024 |
| 2 | ZEISS SEEING BEYOND | 11 | 11 | 2019–2019 |
| 3 | SIPORAX | 4 | 4 | 1991–1991 |
| 4 | VISION 20/20 | 3 | 3 | 1995–1995 |
| 5 | VISION 20/20 THE FUTURE IN SIGHT | 3 | 3 | 1992–1995 |
| 6 | VISUSTORE | 3 | 3 | 2016–2016 |
| 7 | KRYPTAL | 3 | 2 | 1980–1981 |
| 8 | ARCHER | 2 | 2 | 2011–2011 |
| 9 | BUDGET S P E C S | 2 | 2 | 1993–1993 |
| 10 | CARL ZEISS | 2 | 2 | 1953–1953 |
| 11 | LUMERA | 2 | 2 | 2018–2018 |
| 12 | OPMI Lumera | 2 | 2 | 2017–2017 |
| 13 | PHYSIOLOGICALLY MAPPED OPTICS | 2 | 2 | 2009–2009 |
| 14 | QUARTZCOAT | 2 | 2 | 1992–1992 |
| 15 | THERMAXGLAS | 2 | 2 | 1986–1986 |
Logos filed most often (since 2020)
Carl Zeiss' logos
The 7 different logos Carl Zeiss has had published since 2020 – each logo shown once, however many classes or versions it was filed in. Logos protected in more classes come first.
How quickly its trademarks are registered
Over the last five years, Carl Zeiss' marks took a median of 3.8 years from filing to registration, slower than the market's 2.7 years. Most of that time is examination: 3.1 years from filing to acceptance (market: 1.9). Registration itself follows about half a year after acceptance.
Median years from filing to registration per registration year, split into examination (filing → acceptance) and acceptance → registration; the dashed line is the market median. A high recent value means older applications came through that year.
Who files the most in Carl Zeiss' classes
Ranked by number of trademarks filed in Carl Zeiss' main classes – any company that files there, whatever else it does (including retailers' own brands). This shows Carl Zeiss' market position, not who is most like it.
In the last five years, Carl Zeiss was #53 of 4,926 filers in class 9 (electronics & software), with 14 of 10,252 trademarks; #50 of 814 filers in class 10 (medical devices), with 4 of 1,561 trademarks; #1057 of 3,000 filers in class 42 (tech & IT services), with 2 of 5,783 trademarks.
Carl Zeiss' share of all trademarks filed in each of its main classes, per filing year.
Top trademark filers in class 9 (electronics & software), South Africa 1975–2024: Carl Zeiss
Watch the video on its own page, with transcript – https://snz.co.za/trademark-country-selection-direct/carl-zeiss-south-african-trademarks/class-9-race-video.html
Main competitors – the companies most like Carl Zeiss
Ranked by how similar their whole trademark portfolio is to Carl Zeiss' – the same mix of classes and the same words in their marks – not by size. Large filers in its classes that do something different rank lower here.
Carl Zeiss' closest competitors in South Africa are Philips.
Carl Zeiss trademarks vs competitors: filings per year, 2010–2024
Watch the video on its own page, with transcript – https://snz.co.za/trademark-country-selection-direct/carl-zeiss-south-african-trademarks/competitors-video.html
Trademark filings per year: Carl Zeiss (orange) and its five closest competitors.
| # | Company | Relationship | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Philips | Direct competitor | 64% |
| 2 | Samsung | Other field | 80% |
| 3 | Panasonic | Other field | 66% |
| 4 | Huawei | Other field | 64% |
| 5 | Motorola | Other field | 64% |
| 6 | General Electric | Other field | 63% |
| 7 | Apple | Other field | 62% |
| 8 | Xiaomi | Other field | 61% |
| 9 | 3M | Other field | 60% |
| 10 | Essilor International | – | 70% |
Similarity of trademark activity since 2015 (classes and words used in marks). Retailers appear where their own brands compete on the shelf.
Carl Zeiss – relevant export countries
South Africa exported US$1.5 billion of the goods Carl Zeiss' main classes cover in the last year – computer software; lenses; apparatus and instruments; optical (class 9); instruments; surgical; devices; artificial limbs (class 10); dietary supplements; veterinary preparations; disinfectants; plasters (class 5); lighting fixtures; electric lamps; ceiling lights (class 11); brushes; containers; cookware; combs (class 21). Combining where these goods are exported, imported, growing and made (and copied), and what protection costs, these are the markets where Carl Zeiss' trademarks matter most.
Adjust the weightings
These weightings decide how the countries below are ranked. Change any value and the others adjust to keep the total at 100%.
Worldwide
| # | Market | Score | SA exports | Import growth / yr | Route | Cost, 5 classes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | European Union | 76 | US$103 m | +2% | National | US$2,388 |
| 2 | United States of America | 74 | US$62 m | +1% | National | US$3,425 |
| 3 | United Kingdom | 63 | US$28 m | -1% | National | US$1,371 |
| 4 | Australia | 61 | US$47 m | -4% | National | US$2,380 |
| 5 | Canada | 58 | US$5.7 m | -1% | National | US$2,192 |
| 6 | Türkiye | 57 | US$13 m | +8% | National | US$1,258 |
| 7 | Russian Federation | 56 | US$4.1 m | -2% | National | US$1,915 |
| 8 | Namibia | 55 | US$196 m | +13% | ARIPO | US$450 |
| 9 | Japan | 54 | US$1.9 m | -3% | National | US$1,774 |
| 10 | Hong Kong SAR | 53 | US$2.3 m | -3% | National | US$1,715 |
Africa
| # | Market | Score | SA exports | Import growth / yr | Route | Cost, 5 classes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Namibia | 55 | US$196 m | +13% | ARIPO | US$450 S&Z |
| 2 | Zimbabwe | 52 | US$136 m | +16% | ARIPO | US$450 S&Z |
| 3 | Nigeria | 50 | US$27 m | -10% | National | US$1,015 S&Z |
| 4 | Botswana | 50 | US$172 m | -2% | ARIPO | US$450 S&Z |
| 5 | OAPI (17 states) | 49 | US$27 m | +6% | National | US$1,563 S&Z |
| 6 | Egypt | 47 | US$3.3 m | +0% | National | US$2,278 |
| 7 | Mozambique | 47 | US$79 m | +2% | ARIPO | US$450 S&Z |
| 8 | Morocco | 46 | US$894 k | +12% | National | US$1,408 |
| 9 | Algeria | 45 | US$1.4 m | +16% | National | US$1,445 |
| 10 | Malawi | 45 | US$34 m | +15% | ARIPO | US$450 S&Z |
SA exports = South Africa's exports of these goods to the market in the last year. Ranked with the default weightings. Score 0–100 from South Africa's exports of the goods to the market, net imports, import growth, foreign trademark filings, where the goods are made, market size and the cost of protection. Costs are total fees (official and professional) to file in 5 classes; ARIPO costs are per country, plus US$301 once per ARIPO application; S&Z = S&Z's own all-in price. Goods are taken from the classes and specifications, so the ranking is indicative.
Trade data: CEPII BACI (version 202601, trade flows 2022–2024), Licence Etalab 2.0; aggregated and combined with other data by S&Z.
Protecting its top brands in Nigeria and OAPI with S&Z
| Brand | Classes | Nigeria | OAPI (17 states) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ZEISS | 11 | US$2,233 | US$2,671 |
| ZEISS SEEING BEYOND | 11 | US$2,233 | US$2,671 |
| SIPORAX | 4 | US$812 | US$1,378 |
| VISION 20/20 | 3 | US$609 | US$1,194 |
| VISION 20/20 THE FUTURE IN SIGHT | 3 | US$609 | US$1,194 |
S&Z all-in prices per brand in its number of classes, filing to registration.
TM Country Selection Rank the countries for your own goods and get the quotes.
Word marks you may have considered opposing
For Carl Zeiss' five most-filed brands: word marks of other companies (not Carl Zeiss' own group) that our similar word mark search, SimTM, found in the brand's own classes, and that we consider confusingly similar – from the earliest match found to today.
Similar to ZEISS (classes 5, 9, 10, 35, 42; no close matches in the search)
No confusingly similar marks of other companies found.
Similar to ZEISS SEEING BEYOND (classes 5, 9, 10, 35, 42; no close matches in the search)
No confusingly similar marks of other companies found.
Similar to SIPORAX (classes 7, 9, 11, 21; searched 2018-02-28 to 2026-11-08)
No confusingly similar marks of other companies found in this period.
Similar to VISION 20/20 (classes 9, 35, 42; searched 2018-12-19 to 2026-11-08)
No confusingly similar marks of other companies found in this period.
Similar to VISION 20/20 THE FUTURE IN SIGHT (classes 9, 35, 42; searched 2018-12-19 to 2026-11-08)
No confusingly similar marks of other companies found in this period.
Similarity of the words only. Whether a mark could have been opposed depends on the goods and services, the reputation of the brand and the facts – S&Z can advise. New marks like these are what SimTM watch reports as they are published.
How S&Z can help you
S&Z does not just file trademarks. We are a technology-first firm that manages trademarks – analysing your data, monitoring competitors and making sure your trademark assets remain protected.
We manage your trademarks – not just file them
Analysing your data, monitoring competitors and making sure your trademark assets remain protected:
Filing and renewal at fixed, all-inclusive prices
S&Z prices – South African trademarks
| Filing, first class – incl. official fee, examination report, routine office action, acceptance, publication, registration and e-certificate | US$240 |
| Each additional class of the same mark, filed at the same time | US$225 |
| Renewal online, per class (every 10 years from filing) | R1,027 ≈ US$62.29 |
Renewal in rand; US$ at R16.49 per US$.
Carl Zeiss' next five years of renewals
64 of Carl Zeiss' registered marks reach their ten-year renewal date in 2027–2031. Renewed online with S&Z, that costs about US$3,987 over the five years.
Carl Zeiss: frequently asked questions
What should Carl Zeiss consider for its trademarks?
- Where to file next: its goods sell strongly in Namibia, Zimbabwe and Nigeria – markets where South African exports of the same goods are large or growing, and where S&Z files at its own all-in prices (see “Carl Zeiss – relevant export countries”).
- Possible gaps: its competitors also protect class 38 (telecoms), class 20 (furniture) – worth checking against what the business sells or plans to sell.
- Fewer new brands: new brand names fell from 5.8 to 3.0 a year – worth reviewing whether planned launches are being protected early enough.
- Renewals and use: keep track of the ten-year renewal dates and of marks that are no longer used – unused marks can be challenged after five years, and some may no longer be worth renewing.