Kitemark

1). Kitemark^TM is a registered trademark owned and awarded by the British Standards Institution for products that have demonstrated standards for quality and safety. The trademark logo, which resembles a kite, dates back to the tramway rail industry in the early 1900s.

A Kitemark logo certifies that the quality and safety of the product has been tested by the British Standards Institute, whose initials are contained in the logo. To obtain a Kitemark certification, a vendor must submit the product to the British Standards Institution (BSI) for testing. The vendor pays for the testing, which is repeated at regular intervals to keep the certification.

In 2011, in a report called "The UK Cyber Security Strategy," the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General recommended that the the development of security Kitemarks would provide valuable information to customers shopping for security products.

2). Kitemark, with a lower case "k," is sometimes used in everyday speech as a generic synonym for "standard of excellence." This usage is incorrect, however, and violates the BSI trademark.