The Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) has won a legal victory in a trademark infringement case against Construction Help Centre Ltd.
The judgment, delivered by His Honour Judge Hacon in the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court on 27 June 2023, backed CSCS’s exclusive rights to its registered trademarks and ruled against Construction Help Centre for unauthorised use and infringement.
The case centred around Construction Help Centre’s improper use of CSCS’s protected trademarks, including branded card imagery and misleading uses of the term CSCS on its website to imply association and to help sell CSCS cards and other related products.
By unlawfully leveraging these trademarks, Construction Help Centre not only deceived their customers but also undermined CSCS’s reputation and integrity.
Clear violation of intellectual property laws
The court concluded that Construction Help Centre’s actions were in clear violation of intellectual property laws, constituting a deliberate attempt to confuse customers and misrepresent its services as those endorsed or affiliated with CSCS. The court acknowledged the significant investment made by CSCS in building a strong, recognised brand and protecting the interests of the wider industry.
As a result of this ruling, Construction Help Centre has been ordered to immediately cease all use of CSCS’s trademarks in any form. Furthermore, the court has awarded CSCS substantial costs and damages, serving as a deterrent to others against future infringements.
CSCS head of communications, Alan O’Neile, said: “The verdict sends a strong message that CSCS will not tolerate any unauthorised use of our trademarks or attempts to mislead the public.
“In addition, we wish to remind the industry that there is only one official application service for CSCS cards – CSCS.uk.com. CSCS does not endorse any third-party organisations delivering CSCS card application services and we always advise individuals to use the official CSCS service, where a card costs £36.”
CSCS urges the industry to remain vigilant and to report unauthorised uses of the CSCS name, logo, branded imagery, or other activity related to its intellectual property.
For further information on the CSCS name, logo, and image use policy, please visit CSCS.uk.com/logo.
