Use of the seal of the Railroad Retirement Board for non-Agency business is prohibited unless permission for use of the seal has been obtained in accordance with this part.

The Board hereby delegates authority to grant written permission for the use of the seal of the Railroad Retirement Board to the Director of Administration.

Requests for written permission to use the seal of the Railroad Retirement Board shall be in writing and shall be directed to the Director of Administration of the Railroad Retirement Board. The request should, at a minimum, contain the following information:

(a) Name and address of the requester.

(b) A description of the type of activity in which the requester is engaged or proposes to engage.

(c) A statement of whether the requester considers the proposed use or imitation to be commercial or non-commercial, and why.

(d) A brief description and illustration or sample of the proposed use, as well as a description of the product or service in connection with which it will be used. This description will provide sufficient detail to enable the Director of Administration to determine whether the intended use of the seal is consistent with the interests of the government.

(e) In the case of a non-commercial use, a description of the requesting organization's function and purpose shall be provided.

The Railroad Retirement Board shall not grant permission for use of the seal in those instances where use of the seal will give the unintended appearance of Agency endorsement or authentication. Situations where use of the seal of the Railroad Retirement Board would be inappropriate include, but are not limited to, the following examples:

(a) A consulting firm makes arrangements with a railroad to conduct a retirement planning seminar for its employees. Included in the material distributed to the seminar attendees is a booklet, prepared by the consulting firm, which displays the seal of the Railroad Retirement Board on the cover and contains information regarding benefits payable under the Railroad Retirement Act.

(b) A former employee of the Railroad Retirement Board owns a coffee and donut shop, frequented by present and past railroad workers. Many of the shop's customers know of the owner's prior employment with the Board and frequently ask him questions related to benefits payable under the Railroad Unemployment Insurance and Railroad Retirement Acts. The shop owner prepares and distributes to his customers a monthly flyer listing benefit questions presented to him during the month, as well as his answers to the questions. The flyer displays the seal of the Board.

(c) A retired railroad employee works part-time in a train hobby shop. The shop owner, at the former railroad worker's suggestion, develops and sells items such as coffee mugs and computer mouse pads with text relevant to benefits paid by the Railroad Retirement Board. The text is taken from publications issued by the Railroad Retirement Board. The merchandise also bears the seal of the Railroad Retirement Board.

Unauthorized use of the seal of the Railroad Retirement Board may result in criminal prosecution under applicable law.