Overview

Certification and collective marks are special forms of trademarks that ab initio are for use by multiple sources, subject to the proprietor’s authorization. These marks engender particular issues of law and policy that are related to but distinct from the law and policy of ordinary (or ‘individual’) trademarks. A certification mark indicates that certain characteristics of the marked goods or services conform to particular standards. Collective marks attest primarily to membership of the individual source of the marked goods or services in a particular association such as a trade association. The ensuing chapters explore the historical development of both these types of marks, the connections between them, pertinent trademark law and practice, certifiers’ and membership associations’ liability, legal and commercial significance, use in regulatory and technical standardization frameworks. Also explored are more recently developed forms of certification, namely sui generis Geographical Indications, ecolabels and electronic authentication of products.