1. Background
The Standards Council of Canada (SCC) makes accreditation and recognition symbols available to accredited or recognized organizations (“Conformity Assessment Bodies”) to illustrate their accreditation status with SCC. These symbols are specific to a particular accreditation program and represent the official SCC accreditation symbol (the “Accreditation Symbol”) licensed to the Conformity Assessment Body for its exclusive use for the purpose of supporting the promotional usage, efforts and claims of SCC accreditation.
2. Policy Statement
2.1 Rights of Licence
Subject to the terms and conditions of the executed agreement between SCC and the accredited organization, SCC grants the Conformity Assessment Body, under SCC’s intellectual property rights in the Accreditation Symbol, a non-transferable, non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to use and display the Accreditation Symbol for the purpose of indicating that the Conformity Assessment Body is accredited by SCC for the part of its operation listed in the Scope of Accreditation maintained on the SCC website. Except for the rights expressly granted herein, no other right, title, licence or interest in or to the Accreditation Symbol and/or any other property of SCC is hereby granted to the Conformity Assessment Body pursuant to the executed agreement.
2.2 Permitted Uses
The Conformity Assessment Body is only entitled to use and display the Accreditation Symbol to indicate that it is accredited by SCC. Permitted uses by the Conformity Assessment Body of the Accreditation Symbol include:
a) display of the Accreditation Symbol on the Conformity Assessment Body’s printed material, in accordance with the “Usage Requirements; (as defined below);
b) display of the Accreditation Symbol on the Conformity Assessment Body’s website in accordance with the Usage Requirements;
c) display of the Accreditation Symbol on any printed document or printed material of the Conformity Assessment Body used by the Conformity Assessment Body in its accredited operations, provided that:
i) such display conforms with the Usage Requirements;
ii) the Conformity Assessment Body’s name or mark is included on the same page or sheet of paper, and is the predominant name or mark;
iii) it is clearly indicated on the same page or elsewhere in the printed document or material that the Conformity Assessment Body is an SCC-accredited; organization; and
iv) the document relates entirely to the accredited activities of the Conformity Assessment Body or clearly distinguishes those that are accredited from those that are not.
2.3 Responsibilities
2.3.1 The Conformity Assessment Body shall:
a) always comply with the relevant provisions of SCC’s accreditation requirements outlined in the executed agreement between SCC and the accredited organization; this includes agreement to adapt to changes in the requirements for accreditation and the provisions outlined here;
b) claim accreditation only with respect to the scope for which it has been granted accreditation;
c) not use its accreditation in such a manner as to bring SCC into disrepute;
d) fully conform with the requirements of SCC for claiming accreditation status as referenced by the documents in the executed agreement, when making reference to its accreditation in communication media such as Internet, documents, brochures, or advertising;
e) only uses the accreditation symbols for premises of the Conformity Assessment Body that are specifically included in the accreditation. Where the Conformity Assessment Body chooses to use such SCC accreditation symbols, the Conformity Assessment Body will duly adhere to the requirements of section 3, Usage Requirements;
f) in the case where it has certified customers, monitor the organizations so as to not allow the Accreditation Symbol to be used in its claims of certification;
g) forthwith discontinue its use of all advertising or promotional matter that contains any reference to an accredited status or display of the Accreditation Symbol, upon suspension or withdrawal of its accreditation (however determined).
2.3.2 SCC shall:
a) periodically conduct surveillances or re-assessments to verify that the provisions outlined here are interpreted and adhered to correctly.
3. Usage Requirements
Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Conformity Assessment Body shall:
a) only reproduce the Accreditation Symbol using an authorized electronic file or reproof obtained from SCC and related to the specific accreditation program, in accordance with the following specifications:
(i) in 100% black;
(ii) with a minimum printed height of the symbol no less than 17mm;
(iii) on a white or off-white (less than 10% colour saturation) background;
b) when, and in a manner reasonable to do so, maintain legibility of the ™ symbol alongside the Accreditation Symbol and accompany with the following legend (or such other legend as may be prescribed from time to time by SCC):
"The SCC Accreditation Symbol is an official symbol of the Standards Council of Canada, used under licence.";
c) not alter or deface the Accreditation Symbol in any manner, including by way of adding or deleting any written or figurative element to said symbol;
d) not use the Accreditation Symbol to imply that a product, service, or process (or any part of the aforementioned) has been certified or approved by SCC;
e) only use the Accreditation Symbol and its claims of accreditation status for the specific activities covered by the applicable scope of accreditation.
4. Prohibited Uses
The Conformity Assessment Body shall not:
a) use, advertise, or display, or permit the use, advertisement, or display of the Accreditation Symbol on, or in association with, any product or service, or in any way that may be interpreted as denoting product or service conformity;
b) use, advertise, or display, or permit the use, advertisement, or display of the Accreditation Symbol in any way which implies that SCC has approved a product, service, system or person certified by the Conformity Assessment Body; or
c) advertise, or display the Accreditation Symbol in advertising or permit the advertisement of the Accreditation Symbol without the prior consent of SCC.
Date modified: 2020-10-07
