Virginia Law

Article 5. Sale of Goods Made by the Blind.

To facilitate ready and authoritative identification of goods or articles made by blind persons, any person and any public or private institution or agency, firm, association or corporation engaged in the manufacture or distribution of goods or articles made by a blind person or persons shall apply to the Department for a registration and authorization to use an official imprint, stamp, symbol or label, designed or approved by the Department, to identify goods and articles as made by blind persons. Nothing in this article shall authorize the identification of goods or articles as made by blind persons when the labor performed by blind persons in connection therewith shall consist solely of the packaging or packing thereof as distinguished from the preparation, processing or assembling of such goods or articles; nor shall any package the contents of which are not blind-made carry the label "packaged by the blind" or words of similar import. The Department shall investigate each application, under regulations it shall adopt for the administration of this article, to assure that such person or organization is actually engaged in the manufacture or distribution of blind-made goods or articles. The Department may register, without investigation, nonresident individuals and out-of-state agencies, firms, associations or corporations upon proof that they are recognized and approved by the state of their residence or organization pursuant to a law of such state imposing requirements substantially similar to those prescribed pursuant to this article. All registrations shall be valid for one year from date of issue. Nothing in this article shall be deemed to prohibit the offering for sale or sale by a blind person of an article or articles made by such blind person without application for registration or to require the labeling of such article or articles.

Code 1950, § 63-204.26; 1966, c. 169; 1968, c. 578, § 63.1-167; 2002, c. 747.

No goods or articles made in this or any other state may be displayed, advertised, offered for sale or sold in this Commonwealth upon a representation that the same are made by blind persons unless the same are identified as such by label, imprint, stamp or symbol, and no such goods or articles may be so identified unless at least seventy-five per centum of the total hours of direct labor of producing such goods or articles shall have been performed by a blind person or persons.

Code 1950, § 63-204.27; 1966, c. 169; 1968, c. 578, § 63.1-168; 2002, c. 747.

Any blind workman, or any public or private institution or agency, corporation, firm or association, registered with the Department pursuant to this article, engaged in the manufacture or distribution of articles of merchandise, made or manufactured by a blind person or persons, shall imprint or stamp upon such articles of merchandise or affix thereto labels containing the words, "made by a blind workman or made by the blind, or blind-made," to which shall be added the name of the manufacturer, the place of manufacture and such other information as the Department may prescribe.

Code 1950, § 63-204.28; 1966, c. 169; 1968, c. 578, § 63.1-169; 2002, c. 747.

No person, association, or corporation engaged in the sale of blind-made products may use the words "State," "Commonwealth," or "Virginia" in its company or corporate title unless such person, association, or corporation is actually an instrumentality of the Commonwealth.

Code 1950, § 63-204.29; 1966, c. 169; 1968, c. 578, § 63.1-170; 2002, c. 747.

Any person, firm, corporation, institution or association, who (i) shall use or employ an imprint, stamp, symbol or label issued or approved by the Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired or an imitation thereof without having registered with the Department, or (ii) who shall directly or indirectly by any means indicate or tend to indicate or represent that the goods or articles were made by a blind person or persons when in fact such goods or articles were not so made, or (iii) who violates any provision of § 51.5-104 shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.

Code 1950, § 63-204.30; 1966, c. 169; 1968, c. 578, § 63.1-171; 2002, c. 747.