The tartan industry in Scotland is extremely proud of its long heritage and mindful of the burden that history places upon it to safeguard the integrity of the country's traditional tartans and the viability of its manufacturing base in Scotland. Based upon its Archive , the Scottish Tartans Authority offers a certification service whereby designers, weavers and retailers can assure their customers of the pedigree and source of the tartans or tartan articles that they are buying. It is of value wherever woven or printed tartan is used in clothes, clothing accessories, soft furnishings, fashion, product packaging, vehicle livery, china giftwear and many other applications. Then there is the Recording service to accurately document a new tartan and submit it for inclusion in the International Tartan Archive.
Listing is an informal and no-fee facility for advising of new or previously unrecorded tartans.
For weavers or owners wishing to legally protect a new design there is the Patent service which can give up to 15 years' protection in the European Community. To assure buyers of the historical accuracy of tartans, weavers can take advantage of the Authentication service which compares a new weaving to an historical sample in the Archive. And finally, to guarantee that a tartan has indeed been woven in Scotland, there is the TartanMark - a collective mark issued to the Scottish Tartans Authority by the British Trade Mark Registry. Except for the TartanMark which is only available to members in Scotland, these services are available to members and non members of the Scottish Tartans Authority throughout the world. The Authority believes that only with such openness can reputable companies and their clients rest assured that the quality of Scottish tartan is being adequately safeguarded.