The 4-H name and emblem had U.S. federal protection, previous under federal code 18 U.S.C. 707. This federal protection made it a mark unto and of itself with protection that supersedes the limited authorities of both a trademark and a copyright. The Secretary of Agriculture is given responsibility and stewardship for the 4-H name and emblem, at the direct request of the U.S. Congress. These protections placed the 4-H emblem in a unique category of protected emblems, also along with the U.S. Presidential Seal, Red Cross, Smokey Bear and the Olympic rings. These protections, excluding the Presidential seal, were repealed by Division O of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021.