New Trademark Licence Agreement (TLA) for certificate holders

The new TLA can be signed electronically within the FSC Certification Portal. It also updates compliance with data protection regulations (such as the General Data Protection Regulation of the European Union) and strengthens the integrity of the FSC system by for example, enabling specific possibilities for termination, suspension and/or penalties in the case of false claims.

The new TLA is currently only available for organizations applying for, or renewing, single certification. Certification will only be granted on signature of the new TLA.

In order for an FSC single certificate holder to sign the new TLA, the organization’s primary contact will be invited by their certification body to activate their FSC Connect account and sign in to the FSC Certification Portal. Once the FSC single certificate holder signed in to the FSC Certification Portal and provided FSC with the required information, the new TLA will then be available to sign electronically via DocuSign®.

For more information or further guidance please see FSC International TLA Step-by-Step User Guide.

The TLA is a legal document that governs the relationship between FSC and the certificate holder, and grants the right to use the FSC trademarks, for both on-product labelling and promotional use. The specific rules governing the use of the FSC trademarks by certificate holders are set out in FSC-STD-50-001.

FSC regularly revises the TLA to comply with the latest legal requirements and to ensure that the integrity and credibility of the FSC certification scheme is upheld and protected.

For more information, please consult FSC International’s Frequently Asked Questions.