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The Obligation, which is not an oath but a solemn expression of intention, is subscribed to at the Ceremony. The Obligation essentially states the duties and responsiblities of the engineer. Following the Obligation, an iron ring is placed on the little finger of the working hand, and is worn by the Engineer as a symbol and a reminder.
The Obligation is private, though not necessarily secret. However, it is customary for those who have gone through it to not discuss the details of the Calling with others, even engineers from other countries. The ceremony was originally only open only to the candidates, and to others who have already gone through the ritual. However, the rules were changed in the late 1990s to allow two guests of a candidate to attend the ceremony.
It should be noted that those who have been through the Iron Ring Ceremony are NOT yet qualified engineers. To become qualified and licensed requires registration with the relevant professional organization, testing, and several years of on the job experience. Only a Professional Engineer (Eng. or Ing. in Quebec, P.Eng. in the rest of Canada) designation given by provincial or territorial licensing bodies signifies this. The iron ring is trademarkSee also: brand Bass Red Triangle, was the first trademark registered in Britain in 1876. A trademark ( Commonwealth English: trade mark is a distinctive name, phrase, symbol, design, picture, or style used by a business to identify itself and its producted. If a person receives an iron ring from other than a recognised body, the wardens of the iron ring will try to enforce their rights of trademark.