CMI® is a Registered Federal Certification Mark on the Principal Register

The Master Inspector Certification Board has been awarded a Federal Certification Mark on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Principal Register for CMI®.  The Master Inspector Certification Board’s original application was filed in 1990.  CMI® is the home inspection industry’s highest professional designation and is now a Registered Federal Certification Mark on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Offices’s Principal Register.   CLICK to download (PDF)

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Differences Between Trademark Registration on the Supplemental Register and the Principal Register:

  • While a Principal Registration is prima facie evidence of the registrant’s exclusive right to use of the mark, a Supplemental Registration has no such evidentiary effect.
  • While a Principal Registration is constructive notice of claim of ownership so as to eliminate a defense of good faith, a Supplemental Registration has no such effect.
  • While a Principal Registration may become incontestable after five years of registration, a Supplemental Registration can never achieve that evidentiary status.
  • While a Principal Registration can be used as a basis for the Department of the Treasury to stop importations of infringing products into the United States, a Supplemental Registration cannot.
  • While a Principal Registration receives protection as a valid trademark in litigation, a Supplemental Registration will not, prima facie, receive protection as a valid trademark because its very presence on the Supplemental Register indicates a preliminary determination that the mark is not distinctive of the applicant’s goods.

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Certified Master Inspector® is a U.S. Registered Trademark

Certified Master Inspector® is a Canadian Registered Trademark

How to use your Certified Master Inspector® professional designation to give your home inspection business a huge boost.