Certification marks are those marks that certify that certain products or services meet certain technical standards, especially as regards their quality, components, geographical origin, technical conditions or way of manufacturing the product or providing the service.
This type of trademark can not be used by its holder, but will be by third party companies who authorizes the certification to the holder after having carried out a quality assessment of its products or services.
The essence of these marks lies in their regulations of use. This regulation indicates the persons authorized to use the brand, the common characteristics of the products or services that will be certified, the manner in which these characteristics will be verified, the controls and monitoring of the use of the brand, the responsibilities in which it may be incurred due to the improper use of the brand and the fee, which, if applicable, will be required of those who use the certification mark. The regulations for the use of guarantee marks are avalaible in the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office.
Some examples of Spanish certification marks are “Cochinillo de Segovia”, “Aceite de Huelva” and “Gamba de Palamós”. Internationally, among others, the certification marks “Woolmark” and the French quality label “Label Rouge” stand out.
Consumers value certification marks. Therefore, if a company sells products or provides services that meet the requirements of a certification, the certification mark will undoubtedly contribute to gain the trust of the customers and their loyalty.
