Version 1.1 — effective 30 July 2026. These terms form part of every award licence agreement concluded with smartzone GmbH (the operator of the European Product Evaluation Institute, "EPEI") and supplement the Terms of Service. They apply to businesses only.
1. Subject of the licence
1.1 Upon a passed assessment and payment of the licence fee, EPEI grants the client (the "licensee") a non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable right to use the "European Best Value Award" seal, the award certificate and the associated award ID for the specific product (including the specific model/variant) named in the award record.
1.2 The assessment that precedes the licence is free of charge and its result is independent of any payment. No fee — including the licence fee — entitles the licensee to a positive result or to an award.
2. Scope of use
2.1 The licence covers use of the seal for the awarded product in marketing and sales materials, on product packaging, on product detail pages and listings, in advertisements and at points of sale.
2.2 The licence is limited to the awarded product exactly as assessed. It must not be used for other products, other variants, successor models, or products that have been materially changed after the assessment.
3. Mandatory form of use
3.1 The seal must be reproduced unaltered (proportions, elements and legibility preserved; only the licensed graphic files may be used).
3.2 The award year and the award ID must remain visible, and the public verification record must be referenced directly next to every use of the seal — by displaying the verification URL (the EPEI verification page for the award ID) or the provided QR code in legible size. This requirement implements the German case law on test-seal advertising (source reference / "Fundstelle").
3.3 The seal must not be presented in a way that suggests an official, governmental or EU certification, and must not be used as, or as part of, the licensee's own trademark.
4. Term
4.1 The licence runs for the term stated in the offer (typically 12 months from the award's validity date). It ends automatically at the end of the term unless renewed.
4.2 Renewal may require a re-assessment under the then-current methodology and category benchmark; the re-assessment is free of charge.
5. Duties of the licensee
5.1 The licensee warrants that all information provided for the assessment (including directly submitted manufacturer data) is accurate and complete.
5.2 The licensee must notify EPEI without undue delay of (a) any material change to the awarded product, (b) any product recall or safety concern, and (c) any indication of seal misuse.
5.3 The licensee is responsible for its own advertising being lawful in the markets it addresses, including the mandatory source reference under clause 3.2.
6. Suspension and revocation
6.1 EPEI may suspend the licence (public status "suspended") while it investigates a material change to the product, a recall, a substantiated complaint, suspected misuse or suspected false statements.
6.2 EPEI may revoke the licence (public status "revoked") for good cause, in particular where the awarded product was materially changed, recalled, or the award was obtained or used through false statements or misleading use of the seal, or where the licensee is in default of payment after a reasonable grace period.
6.3 The public verification record always shows the current status. The licensee accepts this public status display.
7. End of the licence
7.1 On expiry of the term, the licensee must stop all digital uses of the seal (websites, listings, advertising) within 14 days. Physical materials (e.g. packaging) produced before expiry and showing the award year may be sold off for up to 6 months after expiry, provided the product remained unchanged and the status page is not misrepresented.
7.2 On revocation, all use of the seal must cease immediately, at the latest within 14 days; there is no sell-off right, and no already-produced material may be newly placed on the market.
7.3 Use of a seal without a valid licence (including after expiry or revocation) is prohibited by law (Annex No. 2 to § 3(3) German Unfair Competition Act, UWG).
8. Verification and audit
Upon reasonable request, the licensee will provide evidence of how and where the seal is used. EPEI monitors published uses and operates a public corrections register.
9. Fees
Licence fees are stated in the offer, are net amounts plus VAT where applicable, and are due before the licence term begins, unless agreed otherwise.
10. Indemnity
The licensee indemnifies smartzone GmbH against third-party claims arising from a use of the seal that violates these terms or applicable law, including reasonable costs of legal defence.
11. Liability, applicable law
Liability, applicable law and jurisdiction follow the Terms of Service. These licence terms prevail over the Terms of Service in case of conflict regarding the seal licence.