New Red Cross Symbol
Today the CBC ran a story about how a new, neutral symbol for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been approved - one that will allow its use by countries that may suspect the old red cross or red crescent symbols might not be respected by combatants (i.e. in certain situations or areas of the world, these traditional symbols seem to have lost their protective power).
The new symbol, will be known as the “red crystal” and will be used alongside the red cross and the red crescent as a third symbol of humanitarian relief.
The article also notes that in 2006 a conference will be held to amend the statutes of the Geneva Conventions, to take into account the creation of this new emblem; so as to allow this emblem to also serve as protection marking in armed conflicts.
Regarding any indicative use of the emblem, i.e. when used as a distinctive logo by those organizations which are part of the ICRC Movement, I suspect that the prohibited mark sections of the Canadian Trade-marks Act will likewise have to be amended. Our Trade-marks Act currently legislates the Red Cross and the Red Crescent as prohibited marks, see sections 9(f) and 9(g), but has no provisions for the Red Crystal.