Collective marks and guarantee- or control marks

Collective marks and guarantee- or control marks are marks that groups of people can obtain the right to use. Users must comply with the provisions applicable to the use of the mark.

What is a collective mark?

A collective mark is a mark that may be used by all members of an association, a federation, or another type of organization.

The mark must be capable of distinguishing the members’ goods and services from the goods and services of other undertakings.

An association or other organization of producers, service providers, or other business operators, as well as entities governed by public law, may obtain an exclusive right to use such a mark for their goods and services.

Examples of collective marks

Black and white figure of a gear wheel with three hammers in the center and a bow at the bottom with the text MESTER.

Master mark

Collective mark for services within, among others, construction activities. Reg. no. 520470

TRYGT HYTTEKJØP written in block letters above a horizontal line. Below the line is a three-dimensional figure of a house with the text HYTTEPRODUSENTENE written in block letters directly below.

Safe cabin purchase

Collective mark for buildings, construction activities and architectural planning. Reg. no. 323981

What is a guarantee- or control mark?

A guarantee- or control mark is intended to show that goods and services have been inspected or certified with regard to, for example, materials, production methods, or quality. The mark should be able to distinguish controlled goods and services from those that have not been subject to such inspection.

Authorities, foundations, companies, or any other entity can obtain the exclusive right to use such a mark. However, the holder of the mark is not allowed to conduct commercial activities involving the sale of the goods or services covered by the inspection.

Examples of guarantee- or control marks

Godkjent av dyrevernalliansen written in green letters in a circle, with a stylized green tick in the middle.

Approved by the Animal Welfare Alliance

Guarantee- or control mark for various types of food. Reg. no. 307613

Black and white figure of a stylized swan surrounded by a circle. Above the circle is the text MILJØMERKET, and below the circle is the text SVANEMERKET.

The Nordic Swan Ecolabel

Guarantee- or control mark for various textiles, printed matter, paint, food and drink, construction activities, etc. Reg. No. 272123

ASC logo with figure showing three fish in a circle above open hands

Stichting Aquaculture Stewardship Council Foundation

Guarantee or control mark for fish products and services. Reg. no. 1739486

MICROBIOME.info FRIENDLY written in black letters around a circle, with a figure of microbes in the middle.

MICROBIOME.info FRIENDLY

Guarantee or control mark for chemicals used in industry, non-medical cosmetics and pharmaceutical, medical and veterinary preparations. Reg. No. 1609992

Green check mark with the text TILLATT I NORGE LOTTERITILSYNET written on two lines in black block letters next to it.

Allowed in Norway The Gaming Authority

Guarantee or control mark for gambling activities. Reg. no. 333169

Registered collective marks and guarantee- or control marks

Until 1 March 2023, "joint marks" was a collective term for the two types of marks. In our register, older trademarks will therefore only have the indication "collective trademark".

Provisions for use of the marks

In order to obtain registration of this type of mark, there must be associated provisions that apply to the use of the mark. The provisions must contain the following information:

  1. who has the right to use the mark
  2. the conditions for membership in the association
  3. the terms of use of the brand, including sanctions
  4. the brand owner's obligations to enforce liability against anyone who uses the brand in violation of the provisions
  5. the trademark holder's rights and obligations towards the users, including the right to control, possibly by specific control bodies

If the mark is a guarantee or certification mark, point 2 does not apply.

If the provisions are changed after registration, the amended provisions must be sent to the Norwegian Industrial Property Office for registration and publishing.

How do you apply for a collective mark and guarantee- or control mark?

To apply for a collective mark or a guarantee- or control mark, you submit an application to the Norwegian Industrial Property Office. It is not possible to use our application guide to apply for these marks.

How much does it cost?

The application fee for registration in one product or service class is NOK 4 000.

If you wish to apply for protection of the mark in several classes, you must pay an additional fee of NOK 1 650 per class.

What do you wish to do?