Law on the use of State signs since the General Council in its session of June 20, 1996, has approved the following: law on the use of the signs of State reason this law establishes the limitations on the use of State signs to avoid misuses that may create confusion in the public mind or bring harm to the institutions represented by signs of status. The Paris Convention itself establishes the need to protect the State from any unauthorized use.

This law does not define the precise way each of the signs of State but that establishes what are the competent authorities to use and to authorize the use of the signs of State. These competent authorities have the obligation to define the official form of each of the signs of State and fix, by means of a book of graphic standards, the rules for all authorized use of each sign of State.

This law includes an annex that defines the traditional coat of arms and the flag of the Principality of Andorra. This deploys the constitutional text to the article 2.2) States that "the coat of arms and the flag are traditional" and wants to clear up the confusion that is often created in interpreting the adjective "traditional" to "official." Traditionally been used different coats of arms and flags that are in some way different from the shield and the official flag of the moment and not the different forms that have been traditionally the coat of arms and the flag of the Principality of Andorra are outside the protection of this law.

On the other hand, it is the relevant competent authority who will establish which is the coat of arms and the flag officer in each case.

Article 1 Definitions 1) for the purposes of this law, we understand as a) intergovernmental organization: an intergovernmental international organization which is a member of the Principality of Andorra and one or more Member States of the Paris Convention for the protection of industrial property.

b) competent authority: the authority of the country or intergovernmental organization that has competence to use and, eventually, to authorize the use of: the name the shields the flags the other emblems or signs the seals of control or warranty of this country or this intergovernmental organization 2) the definition of the official form of the flag, the name and abbreviation the coat of arms and other emblems of the Principality of Andorra, it should be done necessarily by law.

Article 2 Prohibition of use 1) Within the territory of Andorra, in the absence of authorization of the competent authority, prohibits all use, either as a brand of products or services, either as an element of this brand, one of the names or of the signs set out in subsections a to d) of this section), as well as of all imitation, even partial, of one of these names or signs.

in) the name or the abbreviation of the name, the coats of arms, the flag and other emblems of the Principality of Andorra, its institutions, its parishes, their quarters, or its other administrative districts as well as the signs and official stamps and guarantee control of the Principality of Andorra;

b) the name of a State or the abbreviated form of this name, the coats of arms, flags and other emblems of a State or official stamps and signs of control and warranty adopted by a State;

c) the name, the initials, the coats of arms, the flag or other emblems of an intergovernmental organization;

d) "State", "national adjectives", "Government", "communal", "official", when such use is by nature to induce the audience to error;

2) it is prohibited in the territory of Andorra, in the absence of authorization of the competent authority, any use in trade or one of the names of the signs set out in sections) and/or d) of point 1) of this article, or any imitation, even partial, of one of these names and signs. In no case can be authorized if the use is of nature to induce the public about the origin of the product or service.

3) a State only can benefit from the protection established in sections 1 and 2) of the present article) for your name or the abbreviation of this name, their coats, their flags, other State emblems as well as official signs and stamps for their control and warranty, if guarantees within its territory an equivalent protection with regard to the name and abbreviation of this name the coats of arms, the flag and the other emblems as well as official seals and signs of control and guarantee of the Principality of Andorra.

4) it is prohibited in the territory of Andorra, all manufacture or marketing of the flag or coats of arms of the Principality of Andorra, its par-ròquies, their quarters or its other administrative constituencies, made without authorization by the competent authority.

5) it is prohibited in the territory of Andorra, in the absence of authorization of the competent authority, any use of the name or an abbreviated form of the name, coats of arms, the flag and other emblems of the Principality of Andorra, its institutions, its parishes, their quarters, or its other administrative constituencies by all associations or other non-profit entity.

Article 3 right to strike up an action; procedural rules 1) failure to comply with one of the prohibitions laid down in article 2 is an administrative offence, and the Government, on its own initiative or at the request of any competent authority of the Principality of Andorra, after their previous opening of the corresponding file will impose sanctions, the two following penalties to the author of this offence: a) fine of 100,000 PTA;

b) obligation to withdraw from the public all the physical media on which to reproduce the signs that violate these regulations within a maximum period of 15 days.

2) in the event of recidivism, the penalty established in paragraph 1) a) of this article are triples.

3) All sanction imposed by the Government, by virtue of section 1) of this article is subject to an administrative resource in accordance with the provisions of the code of the administration.

4) in the event that the sanctions set forth in section 1) of this article are not implemented on the initiative of the Government, the foreign competent authority that it considers that its rights have been injured may initiate legal actions.

Article 4 the competent Authorities of the Principality of Andorra 1) are the competent authorities to use: a) the name "Co-princes" and the emblems of the Co-princes, each of the Co-princes.

(b)) the name "General Council", the General Council;


c) the flag, the name, the short form of the name, the shield and other emblems of the Principality of Andorra, the co-princes, the General Council, the Government, the Constitutional Court, the Superior Council of Justice, the common and the quarters;

of) the name "Government", the Government;

e) "Common names", "Parish", the adjective "Communal", the name and coat of arms of each parish, the corresponding Common;

f) the name and coat of arms of each Quarter, the fourth corresponding;

g) the seals and/or signs of control and guarantee, the co-princes, the General Council, the Government, the Constitutional Court, the Superior Council of Justice, the common and the quarters;

h.) the adjectives "State", "national", the General Council and the Government;

and) the adjective "Government", the Government;

j) the adjective "official", the co-princes, the General Council, the Government, the Constitutional Court, the Superior Council of Justice, the common and the quarterfinals.

2) are competent to authorize the use: a) to the name "Co-prince" and for the emblems of the Co-princes, each co-Prince.

b) for the name "General Council", the General Council;

c) for the flag, the name, the short form of the name, the shield and other emblems of the Principality of Andorra, the Government;

of) the name "Government", the Government;

e) for the name "Constitutional Court", the Constitutional Court;

f) for the name "Superior Council of Justice, the High Council of Justice;

g) for the name "Parish", "common", the adjective "Communal", the name and coat of arms of each parish, the corresponding Common;

h) for the name and coat of arms of each Quarter, the fourth corresponding;

I) for stamps and/or signs of control and guarantee, the co-princes, the General Council, the Government, the Constitutional Court, the Superior Council of Justice, the common and the quarters;

j) for the adjectives "State", "national", "Government", "official", the Government;

Repealing this law derogates all the provisions dictated before that object to the content of this.

First transitional provision Each competent authority must define the official form of the corresponding sign, you must prepare the book of graphic standards and, if necessary, of three-dimensional rules for proper reproduction and application of these and you need to establish, within a maximum period of six months, the regulations governing the procedure for authorization for the use of the names and/or the signs that correspond to the.

Second transitional provision including both a law does not define the official form of the coat of arms and the flag, its characteristics are contained in the annex to the present law, which defines the coat of arms and the traditional flag.

Final provision this law shall enter into force the day of its publication in the official bulletin of the Principality of Andorra.

Casa de la Vall, 20 June 1996 Josep Dallerès Codina, General Syndic Us the co-princes the sancionem and promulguem and let's get the publication in the official bulletin of the Principality of Andorra.

Jacques Chirac Joan Marti Alanis, President of the French Republic the Bishop of Urgell Co-prince of Andorra Co-prince of Andorra Annex 1) traditional coat of arms of Andorra the coat of arms of the Principality of Andorra has traditionally been composed of four houses, two for each of the two Co-princes.

The four houses are: a) the bishopric, represented by a mitre and a golden staff on red background;

b) of Catalonia;

c) the count of Foix.

d) the Viscount of Béarn.

The coat of arms may be accompanied by the "Virtus Unita Fortior".

The coat of arms may be surrounded by a Halo, a parchment or crowned with the emblems of the Lord (Crown, Crown).

At some point in the history of Andorra the colors have suffered variations, is missing one of the four houses in the shield and even have separate items in a House, for example, when you have put the Mithra and the staff in two separate quadrants.

2) traditional Andorran Flag the flag of the Principality of Andorra, traditionally, has been formed by three similar consecutive vertical stripes: the first, on the side of the mast, is blue, the second, in the middle is yellow and Red the third.

The coat of arms of the Principality of Andorra is located in the centre of the flag, on the yellow Strip and may not appear, especially when the flag is represented in certain small formats, or specific, such as ribbons, which can happen to be represented only by three consecutive stripes of blue, yellow and red.