With the interests of the public and those we regulate at the centre of our work, we aim to maintain confidence by ensuring that human tissue is used safely and ethically, and with proper consent. We regulate organisations that remove, store and use tissue for research, medical treatment, post-mortem examination, teaching and display in public. We also give approval for organ and bone marrow donations from living people.
The HTA’s brand is an important communication tool between the HTA and its stakeholders and an important part of our brand is our corporate identity – the visual representation of the HTA, including our logo.
Our logo consists of the HTA symbol and the full name of the organisation. It should not be altered in any way.
The HTA brand, including the logo is the intellectual property (IP) of the HTA and therefore the names, images and logos identifying the HTA are proprietary marks. Under the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1998 the HTA logo is protected by copyright law. If an external party uses it without permission this constitutes infringement of our copyright.
Therefore, if you wish to copy or use the HTA logo, you must get prior approval in writing from us. Message us on our contact us page stating who you are, where you are from, what you want to use the logo for and why.
The HTA’s logo must not be used without permission from the HTA and must not be used in any derogatory or misleading manner. It must not (without explicit, written agreement from HTA to the proposed use) be used in such a way that it could be taken as a form of endorsement or approval.
We will not normally allow external organisations to use our logo and so we will not normally give permission to do so. The only exceptions may be partner organisations that work closely with us on specific projects. In these cases, we may give permission for our logo to be used.
Our policy on the use of the logo is designed to prevent the public from being misled, as they often see a regulator’s logo as a mark of quality. For example, an unlicensed service may be using our logo to imply our endorsement. Providers who wish to show to the public that they are licensed can include a line of text which states they are regulated and licensed by the Human Tissue Authority (HTA). They may also link to our website to show their HTA inspection reports highlighting their compliance with the HTA standards.
Prohibited use of the HTA logo or the acronym ‘HTA’ includes:
- Any implication of endorsement by the organisation or its activities or false association with the HTA.
- Commercial uses (placement of the logo on product packaging).
- Combination of the HTA logo with another logo.
- Manipulate the logo unless necessary due to colour restrictions (for example, black and white).
- Use any other artwork from our site without explicit permission.
- Create your own buttons or marks using our logos, or any part of our logos (including wording HTA).
- No one may redraw, reshape, trace, tilt, intersect or photographically alter or distort the HTA logo in any way.