In Some way this ties in with the Celtic Crest thread, however it covers more than just the Crest in a Strap & Buckle.

It is from the Standing Council of Chiefs Website:

A Chief’s armorial bearings are his property in Scotland and the right to use them or display them is reserved to the Chief. It is an offence in Scotland and a civil delict (or tort) to use a Chief’s coat of arms or his clan crest badge (the crest within a belt and buckle) without his permission. A Chief is entitled to license the manufacture of products bearing his armorial bearings on such terms and conditions as he chooses. A wrongful use of the Arms on trade products or otherwise is prosecuted in the Lyon Court by the Procurator Fiscal (the District Attorney) and a Chief can also sue for damages.

It is a condition of membership of the Standing Council that a Chief assigns to the Standing Council his rights to police the use of his armorial bearings and to collect royalties on any license to produce or display his armorial bearings. It is therefore the Secretary of the Standing Council who issues licenses in exchange for a payment of a royalty (about 2% of the manufacturer’s price) allowing a firm to reproduce the Chief’s coat of arms or crest badge.

Approval is only given to products which have been checked by the Secretary and are both heraldically correct and have been approved as products of a quality and fineness which are suitable for the display of a Chief’s coat of arms.

Of course, armorial bearings can only be protected in Scotland by the law of Scotland, but an increasing number of Chiefs are arranging for their Arms to be registered as trademarks or patented world wide to afford them the protection which is available in Scotland.

Manufacturers who operate outside of Scotland would therefore be wise to confirm that they are not infringing one of these trademarks or patents by checking with the Secretary of the Standing Council. In any event, more and more manufacturers who make products outside of Scotland are finding that there is considerable advantage in obtaining the Standing Council’s approval for their products and being able to market them under the trademark of the Standing Council, which is a guarantee of accuracy and, to a certain extent, the quality of the product.