Misuses Of The PECB Brand Standards

Misuses of the PECB Brand Standards

2277 views 2016-11-11 2024-02-14 PECB Customer Service 7

PECB regularly inspects Distributors, Partners, Trainers, Clients, and other relevant individuals or groups in order to scrutinize possible misusage of brand standards. Moreover, all complaints from the second or third parties regarding individuals or organizations that are misusing brand standards are taken very seriously by PECB. This approach is also applied to the investigation processes of complaints, in that in instances where the misuse of any symbol is confirmed, the necessary measures are taken. If the misuse is not withdrawn, then legal actions will be taken.

Should you identify a situation where the misuse of the PECB brand standards is suspected, please inform us by writing at business.administrative@pecb.com.

The information below provides the most common brand standards misuses:

  • PECB accreditation
  • PECB affiliations
  • PECB logo and slogan
  • PECB certificates
  • PECB training course Names
  • Website design layout

The following information provides guidelines on how to properly use brand standards and avoid misuses.

PECB Accreditation

PECB is accredited by the International Accreditation Service (IAS) as a Personnel Certification Body (under ISO/IEC 17024). In cases when anyone claims or associates PECB with any other accreditation body or a certification scheme that is not listed here, it shall not be considered, while further claims of the same subject matter should be considered with caution.

PECB Affiliations

The following Distributors are part of the PECB Attributed Territories who have been granted special permission to use the PECB symbols as part of their identities:

PECB United Kingdom

PECB Netherlands

PECB North America

PECB Latam & Iberia

PECB Europe

PECB France

PECB Asia-Pacific

PECB Africa and Middle East

PECB Nordics

In case you face any other permission claims, except the ones mentioned above, you should be aware that they are not granted special permission to use the PECB symbols as part of their identities and it is advised not to engage with them.

 PECB Logo and Slogan

The PECB logo is an acronym of the first letter of each word in the company’s official name (Professional Evaluation and Certification Board). The logo evolved from the modified typeface of “Raleway.” The PECB logo can stand alone or together with the slogan. However, when used together, the slogan must always be below the logo or on the right side of the logo as formatted in the brand book. The official slogan of PECB is “Beyond Recognition.” Any other forms of the PECB logo which differ from what PECB Brand Book allows are prohibited and must be reported to us immediately.

Unacceptable Executions

  • Logo associated with other texts, product names, or product logos
  • Light-colored logotype artwork on white or light backgrounds
  • Stretched, extended, or compressed logo
  • Placing the logo over busy backgrounds
  • Applying gradients, drop shadows or other effects to the logotype
  • Usage of fonts other than the original font
  • Usage of boarders to isolate the logo

The PECB logo is available to be downloaded here.

Identification of PECB Partners

PECB provides its Partners special logos that are published on their website in order to reveal the partnership with PECB and level of business cooperation.

To visually communicate the collaboration with more than 2,000 partners worldwide, PECB has created five different versions of Authorized Partner Certificates logos;

  • Authorized Partner
  • Silver Partner
  • Gold Partner
  • Platinum Partner
  • Titanium Partner

The use of one of these logos on a website highlights the partnership but also the level of business cooperation with PECB. Claims on any other level of business cooperation are false and must be reported to us immediately.

 PECB Certificates

Officially, PECB issues these types of certificates:

  • Certifications for individuals
  • Partners
  • Trainers

All of these certifications are branded with the PECB official logo on the top left corner aligned with the slogan on the top right corner, certificate number, issued and valid date on the bottom left corner and the PECB stamp as the background of the certificate. The Authorized Partner Certificate must include the signature of the Chief Operating Officer of PECB; the Trainer Certificates must include the signature of the Deputy CEO of PECB, while the Certificates of Individuals, must include the signature of the PECB Director of Compliance.

In cases when you were issued a PECB Certificate and one of these brand signatures is missing, it is advised to approach this with caution and inform us at legal@pecb.com on the matter.

Digital and Printed Basics

Genuinely, all marketing basics such as brochures, catalogues, magazines, and training course materials are designed to be offered for free to clients, Partners, and Trainers to use upon their need. No individual, group, or institution has the right to sell any of these marketing items mentioned above; otherwise legal actions will be taken against the seller.

Official PECB Training Courses

All PECB training courses must have the “PECB Certified” assurance in front of the course name, for example: “PECB Certified ISO 9001 Lead Auditor.” In cases when a PECB training course description layout is used by any other organization, it must have a link back to the original source and shall be associated with the PECB logo.

PECB training courses shall not be associated with any other certification body’s logo, link, or marketing items that might cause confusion.

Online appearance

Currently, there are a few companies that are displaying the official PECB logo as their own logo on their websites. These companies were contacted and the PECB logo must be removed or listed in a section where it states our partnership or any other association with PECB. Until now, no special permission has been granted by PECB for the usage of its website design, logo, or any other marketing item as these companies’ official identities.

An Important Copyright Notice

All PECB materials are a trademark of PECB and are copyrighted. So, it is very important to maintain and properly use all PECB materials. All the guidelines described in this document shall be used by all PECB affiliates and other relevant individuals or groups that intend to use our services. PECB grants permission to use the PECB Certification Mark to PECB certified professionals that have satisfied all applicable PECB credentialing and certification requirements. Each PECB certified professional is authorized to use only the Certification Mark which represents the appropriate certification and credential. Each PECB certified professional may use the appropriate PECB Certification Mark in professional and business materials such as business cards, email signatures, etc.

Non-Assignability and Non-Transferability

The permission to use the certification mark is limited to the certified person, and shall not be transferred to, assigned to, or otherwise used by any other individual, organization, or entity.

 PECB CERTIFICATION MARK VIOLATION REPORTING

Upon receiving information that an inappropriate or unauthorized use of the Certification Mark has occurred, PECB will determine if responsive action(s) should be taken, by following the steps below:

The alleged inappropriate or unauthorized mark use will be reviewed.

In case a policy violation is validated, PECB shall request the individual(s) and/or organization(s) involved, to cease the unauthorized use.

If the policy violation is not corrected, appropriate legal actions or sanctions shall be taken, including certification suspension or termination.

 

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