§ 2504. Market Vermont logo
(a) The Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets and the Secretary of Commerce and Community
Development shall develop categories and standards designed to identify those Vermont
goods, services, and experiences that best portray and promote Vermont’s reputation
for high standards of quality.
(b) The Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets and the Secretary of Commerce and Community
Development shall develop an identification label or labels that may be used to identify
Vermont goods, services, and experiences as quality Vermont products. Any logo developed
pursuant to this section shall be filed with the Secretary of State who shall register
the logo as a trademark pursuant to 9 V.S.A. chapter 71, subchapter 1. The logo shall remain a registered trademark of the program until
it is withdrawn by the Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets and the Secretary
of Commerce and Community Development.
(c) Persons wishing to apply for the identification logo shall be provided with application
forms by the Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets or the Secretary of Commerce
and Community Development. The Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets and the
Secretary of Commerce and Community Development shall establish a process for reviewing
the applications to determine if the applicant meets the standards established for
that particular category of goods, services, or experiences. No person participating
in the process may be held liable for any decision or recommendation made about the
granting or denial of the use of the market Vermont logo. In the event that an application
is rejected, the applicant may request that the Secretary of Agriculture, Food and
Markets and the Secretary of Commerce and Community Development reconsider. If the
application is again denied, the decision shall be final, unless the applicant can
demonstrate that the goods, service, or experience has been altered in order to bring
it in line with the standards established for that product.
(d) The Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets and the Secretary of Commerce and Community
Development may require periodic reapplication for the use of the market Vermont logo
and may revoke the right of any person to use the market Vermont logo any time they
determine a product does not meet the standards established for that type of goods,
service, or experience. There shall be no right to a hearing on such a decision, unless
such a right is established by rule.
(e) [Repealed.]
(f) The Secretary of Commerce and Community Development may require an annual fee not
to exceed $150.00 per product line enrolled in the program, which shall be based upon
the actual costs to the agencies, to be paid by persons participating in the program,
and to be applied toward administration and promotion of the program. (Added 1991, No. 182 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; amended 1997, No. 59, § 30, eff. June 30, 1997; 2003, No. 70 (Adj. Sess.), § 28, eff. March 1, 2004; 2009, No. 135 (Adj. Sess.), § 1; 2013, No. 72, § 15; 2013, No. 191 (Adj. Sess.), § 4.)