What Is a Certification Mark?

A certification mark is entitled to the same federal protection with the USPTO as a standard trademark. It is owned by a party who allows others to use it to certify regional or other origin, material, mode of manufacture, quality, accuracy or other characteristics of the user's goods or services. A certification mark is not a source identifier of the company making the product or service, but it designates the procedure or standard of the product or service. An example is the "Real" seal for dairy products.