Hallmarking within the EU

[SteveLAO]

You can register on line and choose your sponsor mark straight away. The image of the mark should be uploaded for laser marking within about 48hrs or so, (this is a complimentary service) and the punch takes a couple of weeks or so to cut.

[klevellcaine]

Thanks, Steve. One final question (I hope): can I send stuff to the special Heathrow courier by insured post or only by courrier?

[art925]

Surely, by registering in the UK Karen is complying to UK and French hallmarking regulations, thereby complying to sales regs, by registering only in France she complies only with French hallmarking regs and can only sell in France.
Les

[klevellcaine]

I hope you'll feedback and let us know what the expert says, Pearlscence.

[SteveLAO]

The heathrow service is run in cooperation with Brinks and is located within the brinks building so if you wish to use the service then you have to use Brinks as your courier

[klevellcaine]

Yes, I wondered that, Les. If the sponsor's mark is part of the hallmark, and the UK hallmark is recognised by France, then presumably I don't need to register the sponsor's mark in France as well as the UK. Have I got that right, Steve?

[SteveLAO]

Yes, your sponsor mark will be registered in the UK. you won't need to register it in France too.

[klevellcaine]

Thanks for clarifying that, Steve.

[pearlescence]

I've not heard back but did a little research myself ..
The issue partly came up before the European Union court to do with a case from Ireland (http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/...CJ0030:EN:HTML)
That case concerned the whole issue of items in a member state being required to have hallmarks and marks from another state. It does not go to the question of an item lawfully exempt from marking in the MS of manufacture.
(more easy to follow here - http://curia.europa.eu/juris/showPdf...t=1&cid=432345)
There's another case which is also relevant where Holland tried to insist on its own mark on items from another state http://www.ladas.com/BULLETINS/1994/...eMovement.html
There doesn't seem to be any decided cases on the issue of an item lawfully exempt from hallmarking in one MS . Interesting......

[SteveLAO]

Yes European rulings are a little complicated and all really boils down to whether the member state has the same methods of assaying and marking and the same tolerance levels and therefore are deemed to be the same marks. In the case of France, they do not, I understand, have the same rigorous levels of assay tolerance, as marking there I believe is more of a sort of taxation rather than a strict analysis of the fineness. This is why we do not recognise the French marks, but as our tolerance is tighter than theirs, they do recognise our marks. Many countries in the EU belong to the European convention on hallmarking, and are able to apply the common control, or convention mark in addition to their own hallmark. Goods marked like this can then be traded between member states without the need for further testing and marking. France is not in the the convention though, for the reasons mentioned above.
(pearlescence....more on this subject at the seminar on Monday!!)