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Can I use the logos of other companies on my site?

This is a legal question, so I suppose I should consult a lawyer ... any lawyers reading this? ;-)

After almost 2 years I have done some very small projects for very big companies and govt depts.

I would like to have a "brag page" on my website.

Can I post customers' logos and call it fair use?

Can I call them "Satisfied customers" on the grounds that they paid for my work and are using it, not suing?

By now, you are probably wondering "why not just ask them"?

I did ... but ... I do projects for people low on the food chain - middle management & such. And they are nervous about giving me the go ahead on behalf of the company in case someone upstairs decides later that they don't like it.

Human nature, I suppose. So ... can I post a list of company names and logos on my website? Can I call them "Satisfied customers", "clients", or what?

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Why not see if they can give you a contact higher up the ladder who may be able to approve the usage of the logo. Maybe give them a little incentive like a small percentage off the cost of the service for a mention or endorsement. – Manny May 12 '12 at 18:42

marked as duplicate by Zuly Gonzalez♦ May 12 '12 at 5:18

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  1. Ask harder & be persistent. Some entities are too protective of how their logo is used by vendors, so permission will save you lots of headache later.
  2. Never add a qualitative description, such as "satisfied", without permission. In simple terms, that's "putting words into someone else's mouth". You can say "past & current customers" and anything neutral like that without confirming with the logo's owner. But before you claim they're "satisfied" or "happy", you need to get their written permission. One of the exceptions is "repeat" - because it's a fact that someone came to you for another project.
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