Product certification program
70 F.T.C. 1878 · Oct. 19, 1966 · Digest No. 96
source volume section (70 F.T.C. 1878)
Text is machine-OCR of the printed volume and may contain errors. Advisory opinions are the Commission's views on proposed conduct, not binding orders.
No. 96. Product certification program.
The Federal Trade Commission recently advised a producer association that its proposed certification program for its industry product, including the award of a certification mark would not be objected to under Commission-administered law provided certain conditions are met.
Under the proposed program, certification would be based on availability of production personnel with defined minimum training and experience, the possession of minimum test and quality control equipment, and the use of recognized production techniques. A certification mark could be awarded to , and used by, those qualifying.
Certified pl'ducers would be subject to periodic checks to ensure that the required standards were being maintained. Failure to maintain standards could result in decertification and withdrawal of the right to use the mark. The Commission opinion contained the fol1owing conditions: , unre- (1) Al1 present or future jJl'ducers are to have free ADVISORY OPINION DIGEST 1879 stricted, and nondiscriminatory access to the program, whether association members or not (2) The association wi1 affrmatively offer and accord to nonmembers an equal opportunity for certification at a cost no greater than, and on conditions no more onerous than, those imposed upon comparably situated association members for whom comparable services are rendered (3) A uniform certification mark wi1 be awarded to all who qualify, (4) General supervision of the certification program wi1 be vested in a policy board, or eommittee, substantially representative of all producers, such board, or committee, to have, among its other duties, the responsibility for ensuring nondiscriminatory access to the program. Finally, the Commission noted (1) that it expresses no opinion as to the validity of the standards which are adopted, and (2) that its approval would be of no force or effect should the proposed program be implemented in a way which contravened Commission-administered law. (File No. 673 7006, released Oct. 19 1966.