CSCS Wins Trademark Case

THE CONSTRUCTION Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) has won a legal case it brought against Construction Help Centre Ltd for trademark infringement.

The court backed CSCS’s exclusive rights to its registered trademarks and ruled against Construction Help Centre for unauthorised use and infringement

Construction Help Centre was found to have made improper use of CSCS’s protected trademarks by Judge Hacon in the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court on 27 June 2023.

Construction Help Centre illegally used branded CSCS card images and made misleading uses of the term CSCS on its website. Construction Help Centre tried to imply it was associated with the CSCS scheme to help it sell CSCS cards and other related products.

By unlawfully leveraging these trademarks, Construction Help Centre not only deceived their customers but also undermined CSCS’s reputation and integrity.

Trademark Case

The court concluded that Construction Help Centre’s actions were in clear violation of intellectual property laws. It was found guilty of deliberately attempting to confuse customers and misrepresent its services as those endorsed or affiliated with CSCS.

The court acknowledged the significant investment made by CSCS in building a strong, recognised brand and protecting the interests of the wider industry.

As a result of this ruling, Construction Help Centre was ordered to immediately stop all use of CSCS’s trademarks in any form. The court awarded CSCS substantial costs and damages, serving as a deterrent to others against future infringements.

CSCS Head of Communications, Alan O’Neile, said: “The verdict sends a strong message that CSCS will not tolerate any unauthorised use of our trademarks or attempts to mislead the public.

“In addition, we wish to remind the industry that there is only one official application service for CSCS cards. CSCS does not endorse any third-party organisations delivering CSCS card application services and we always advise individuals to use the official CSCS service, where a card costs £36.”

Complaints of Fraud

The Construction Help Centre received several complaints on review site Trustpilot.

On the Trustpilot site the company claims: “Construction Help Centre is your one-stop solution for all your construction needs. We will assist you in every possible way to get your CSCS Cards, CITB Tests, Health, and Safety Courses. You will get 100% assured support from us to qualify the CITB Health and safety environment test.”

Several reviewers complain of ‘fraud’ after spending £60 for cards which were not sent. The company’s badly written replies deny receiving the payment and ask for the poor review to be removed:

The Construction Help Centre website has been removed and cannot be accessed from its Google listing.

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