For most devices. We assess the manufacturer’s documentation and evidence against our public protocol and cross-check it with TroubleAtlas data. Honest wording: “documentation and evidence verified under the TroubleAtlas protocol.” Fully automated — the accessible price.

For flagship devices. A real, hands-on test carried out by a TroubleAtlas operator, with our own photos and video. More thorough, and priced higher. The seal and certificate always state which of the two applies.

One product, one code, one certificate

The seal applies only to the exact product carrying its Unique Code on the certificate — never to a range, a successor model, a later version, or a different variant. One product = one code = one page on troubleatlas.com/certified/<CODE>.

State the model and code

Wherever the seal appears, the exact model and its Unique Code must be identifiable, so anyone can match the seal to the right product and certificate.

Always show the year and a way to verify

The seal must always display its year and a QR code or link to the live certificate. A seal that cannot be verified is not a valid use.

Never alter the seal

Use only the official TroubleAtlas artwork. You may not change its design, colours, gear mark, score or year; recolour or redraw it; or combine it with other marks so as to imply a different rating.

Never transfer it

The seal may not be moved, copied or reused on any other product, version or accessory. It is tied to the certified product alone.

It is an assessment, not an endorsement

You may not present the seal as an endorsement, a recommendation to buy, a guarantee, a prize or an award to the company. It states that one product was assessed under our protocol and earned that score — nothing more.

Use it only after a positive result

The seal may be displayed only once a certificate has been issued with a passing result. The score may go down, or the product may be refused; certain voices (safety, regulatory compliance, data & privacy) can fail the whole certification.

The score is never for sale

Fees pay for the assessment or test work only. They never buy, raise or guarantee a score or a passing result. Any attempt to influence a score voids the licence immediately.

Valid 12 months, with the year on the seal

Each certificate is valid for 12 months and carries the year of issue, printed on the seal. The first licence is included in the cost of the certification.

Renew, or keep it “as-is”

At expiry you may either renew (an additional fee; the seal is re-issued with the new year) or keep, free of charge, the seal you already earned as-is — still showing its original year as historical context. You may not produce new material with an expired seal, and you may never remove the year.

Status is always shown online

The certificate page always shows the real, current status — Valid, Expired or Revoked. Because the embeddable seal reads our registry live, an expired or revoked seal updates by itself.

If the product changes, or rules are broken

A new revision, formula, firmware or material that could affect the result requires re-testing; the existing seal may not carry over. We may revoke a licence for breach of these rules or material change to the product.

Anyone can verify it

Every seal resolves to a public certificate at troubleatlas.com/certified/<CODE>, showing the code, the year, the status and the score breakdown. An invalid or fake code returns a clear “not found” page (404) — the image alone proves nothing.

The mark belongs to TroubleAtlas

The TroubleAtlas Certified seal, name and artwork are our intellectual property, licensed for use strictly under these terms for the duration of validity. Misuse may end the licence and, where necessary, be acted upon to protect the mark.