In fact, it is almost always the latter. As the IATEFL website clearly says:

“Use of our logo is restricted to the IATEFL website, SIG websites and official publications, stationery and communications from IATEFL itself.”

The only exception to that is affiliates, meaning national teaching associations that are officially affliated to IATEFL. Even then:

“Use of the IATEFL logo by affiliates should be accompanied by a short text such as ‘an affiliate of IATEFL’ or similar”

This means that all teaching training organisations that have the IATEFL logo on their websites are breaking IATEFL’s copyright, as is any organisation of any kind that puts the logo next to “An institutional member of IATEFL”. That means that they are not just indulging in a meaningless boast that is equivalent to “member of the local yacht club” in the hope that someone who is not reading carefully (and that is all of us nowadays) thinks they are recommended by IATEFL, but are also breaking the rules of the organisation that they are apparently so proud of being a member of.

Even some CELTA providers are guilty of this, but should IATEFL spend a few hours emailing such sites I will be able to add “any use of the IATEFL logo” to my list of reasons to avoid a TEFL course. It’s already a pretty bad sign. I’d also recommend IATEFL to ban anyone from claiming to be an institutional member, even when that is true. Again, trying to use that to get some reflected glory is probably a bad sign when choosing a TEFL course.