Registering a new tartan

[Steve Ashton]

Roy,

If I can point out ---

Registering a Tartan is one thing. The registering body, whether you use The Scottish Register or The Scottish Tartans Authority, on recognizes that your design as unique, not a copy of something someone else has done. The registering body is also confirming that your chosen name meets the criteria. For example you cannot name a Tartan after a company without that companies approval of some sort.

Restricting a Tartan is something totally different. Many Tartans have been copyrighted by their designers. In some cases this is to protect intellectual property. In some cases it is simply to record the name of the designer.
Some other restrictions could be what mill is authorized to weave it. In this case you are choosing the weaving mill that will give you the yarn colors and Sett size you intend.
Some Tartans carry restrictions on who is authorized to wear it. An example would be a Tartan for a club.

Making a Tartan "official" is quite a different ball of wax.
Let me give you an example of these -

I designed the Victoria, City of Gardens Tartan. The Tartan was my gift to my adopted city.
I registered it with both the SRT and the STA. I sent in a swatch to be kept in the Scottish Archives.

When I registered the design I restricted it to be woven by the mill that I had the original weaving done with. I wanted all subsequent weavings to be the same colors and Sett Size.

That was step one.

Step two was presenting my design, along with a competing design, to the Victoria City Council for their vote. I'm happy to say that they chose my design. I have a letter signed by the Mayor stating that my design is now the "Official" Tartan of the City of Victoria, BC Canada.
I had to then submit a copy of the Mayors letter to both Registration bodies so that they could update their web listing.

And finally I took out a Copyright on my design to protect my intellectual property.


There is no requirement to do any of these steps.