May 05, 2011
A British stove manufacturer has started a campaign backed by an MP for a new quality mark to be available to distinguish products that are made in Britain.
The company carried out a survey to assess the public’s perception of various products. The results showed that nearly half of those questioned thought that many products were made in Britain, which in fact are not, such as HP Sauce, Raleigh bicycles and Royal Doulton pottery. The company believes that a Made in Britain mark would help to prevent confusion and support British employment and the manufacturing industry.
The UK Intellectual Property Office currently deals with applications for certification and collective marks. Certification marks guarantee that the goods they are applied to meet certain standards or have certain characteristics such as origin, material, quality or means of manufacture. They are usually applied for by trade associations or Government bodies, which can monitor use of the mark by their members.
It is a criminal offence to mislabel a product or its place of manufacture, under the Trade Descriptions Act. It is open to manufacturers to state that a product is Made in Britain if it is accurate but a recognised quality mark would define certain criteria that must be met for the statement to apply.
