The KEYMARK is used to identify KEYMARK certified products in accordance to the relevant European Standard. The certificate attests a number of positive attributes, including quality, reliability, safety, and consumer and environmental protection. Certificate holders may use the certification mark KEYMARK for their products or services only after they have been subjected to the proper inspection and certification process.
This certification process is carried out in line with strict accreditation criteria and forms the basis for the success and respect accorded to the KEYMARK. The process naturally also incurs costs on the part of the certificate holder. Unfortunately, we sometimes encounter cases in which the KEYMARK has been misused e.g. marking of products with the KEYMARK without permission and thus benefiting from the reputation and significance of the brand KEYMARK in international markets. The illegal use of the mark can take on different forms.
Examples of Misuse
- A manufacturer or retailer uses the internationally protected KEYMARK without being in possession of a valid certificate.
- A certificate has expired or was withdrawn by the issuing certification body, thus the right to use the KEYMARK has expired automatically.
- Changes were made on the product without prior information to the issuing certification body in writing. Supplementary testing or type testing and amendments of certificates can result from these changes.
- KEYMARK is placed next to other products (e.g. in brochures) which are not certified or it is used without the corresponding registration number.
In order to protect the customers and the reputation of the KEYMARK itself, we therefore cannot accept the improper use of KEYMARK in the market. We investigate all instances in which the KEYMARK is misused and reserve the right to take action under civil law (e.g. by lodging a claim for damages). The right to use the KEYMARK is issued to the certificate holder by the empowered certification bodies together with the certificate.
The empowered certification bodies shall take all appropriate measures in their contractual relations with their clients to prevent the unauthorized use of the KEYMARK at any time and bear the related costs. Should the empowered certification body decide to take legal action against unauthorized use of the KEYMARK by its customers or former custormers, it will inform us accordingly. In case we identify a possible unauthorized use of the KEYMARK, we may request the relevant empowered certification body to take action.
In the interest of our customers and to enable us to investigate this type of misuse more quickly, we would like to ask for your assistance. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you discover any instances in which the KEYMARK has been used improperly or wrongfully. You can also gain an overview of the valid certificates in our database.