1306.06(f)(i) Statement of What the Mark Certifies
The application must contain a statement of the characteristic, standard, or other feature that is certified or intended to be certified by the mark. The statement should begin with wording, "The certification mark, as used (or intended to be used) by authorized persons, certifies (or is intended to certify) . . . ." See 37 C.F.R. §2.45.
All of the characteristics or features that the mark certifies should be included. A mark does not have to be limited to certifying a single characteristic or feature.
The characteristics or features that the mark certifies should be explained in reasonable detail, so that they are clear. The broad suggestive terms of the statute, such as quality, material, mode of manufacture, are generally not satisfactory by themselves, because they do not accurately reveal the nature of the certification. How specific the statement should be depends in part on the narrowness or breadth of the certification. For example, "quality" would not inform the public of the meaning of the certification where the characteristic being certified is limited, for example, to the strength of a material, or the purity of a strain of seed.
The statement of certification in the application is printed on the registration certificate. For that reason, it should be reasonably specific but does not have to include the details of the specifications of the characteristic being certified. If practicable, however, more detailed specifications should be made part of the application file record.
The statement of what the mark certifies is separate from the identification of goods and/or services.