Haris Signs of Skippers Lane Industrial Estate in Middlesbrough are displaying the BSGA logo on their website yet they are not members of this Trade Association. Only current members of the BSGA are entitled to display our registered mark on any of their media including websites. The Haris website, consisting of a single page, also shows that the only contact number is a mobile phone which when we rang, was not answered.
In effect what Haris Signs are doing is known as ‘passing off’ and this is plain and simply illegal.
Unfortunately a small number of people and businesses don’t see, understand or believe that permission to use these badges and logos applies to them. Furthermore, it makes you wonder that if these people are prepared to hoodwink their customers as to the proficiency and professionalism of their business, how much confidence would you have in them for whatever other claims they make on their website or for supplying you a quality product and service knowing that some of the information they are displaying about their business and credentials is simply untrue.
In the case of Haris Signs, the BSGA has never, according to our records, had any contact or discussions about membership. They recognise the value of being a member of the BSGA but don’t seem to think that actually joining the Association and being entitled to display our badge applies to them. Neither can we speak for the quality of Haris Signs work never having seen any examples.
The attached link to a news item in the Peterborough Telegraph on line service – Peterboroughtoday.co.uk – demonstrates the consequences of ‘passing off’.
Click here to read the news item and the consequences of passing off and pretending to be something you are not.
You may make your own mind up as to the nature of Haris Signs as a business and potential supplier of signs and graphics to you. In the meantime we will continue to try to contact the company and get them to remove our logo and cease pretending to be something they are not.
The rules governing the use of the BSGA logo (which is a registered mark and intellectual property) can be downloaded here rules-logo-misuse