Certification mark

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A certification mark on a commercial product or service is a registered mark that enables its owner ("certification body") to certify that the goods or services of a particular provider (who is not the owner of the certification mark) have particular properties, e.g., regional or other origin, material, quality, accuracy, mode of manufacture, being produced by union labor, etc.^[1] The standards to which the product is held are stipulated by the owner of the certification mark. ^[2]

There are essentially three general types of certification marks:^[3]

1. certifying that goods or services had originated in a particular geographic region (e.g., Roquefort cheese);
2. certifying that goods or services meet particular standards for quality, materials, methods of manufacturing, for example, tests by the Underwriter Laboratories;
3. certifying that the manufacturer has met certain standards or belong to a certain organization or union (e.g., "union made" in clothing).

The term "certification mark" is very recent, so while discussing historical certification marks, terms "guild sign", "quality mark", "hallmark", and "trade mark" are used by researchers.^[4]

A certification mark indicates a property standard or regulation and a claim that the manufacturer has verified compliance with those standards or regulations. The specific specification, test methods, and frequency of testing are published by the standards organization. Certification listing does not necessarily guarantee fitness-for-use. Validation testing, proper usage, and field testing are often needed.^{[citation needed]}