Should I ask for permission from my customers before I display their logos on my website?
Some big names are using my product Pikaso and I would like to list their names and logos on my homepage as customers (just like every other startup does).
But I was wondering, is it legal to do so? Or do I need to ask them for permission first?
You probably don't have to ask but you should.
#2 sounds fantastic except the companies that you probably want to show logos for are big enough that you'll never hear back from them.
Thus #3 usually doesn't happen.
Thanks. Very good points.
This comment was deleted 4 years ago
I've seen startups listing company logos after doing the bare minimum proof-of-concept deployment, which seems far more dodgy to me than listing the logos of large companies that you're actually doing business with.
If the company publishes a press kit/branding guideline page somewhere off their main site, chances are they're not going to have a problem with you using their logo. If you want buy-in, why not ask for a brief testimonial from a customer (you can even pre-write it and just ask them to approve), which will give you a justification for listing the logo on your site.
Another approach would be to just ask for the branding kit. Act as if their logo belongs on your site, and you're just looking for the correct version to use. If they don't stop you there, I doubt it'll be much of a problem!
Good idea. Thanks.
Sure you must! You dont Even own the rights on the logo
What if they have a branding or press kit page on their website?
Easy enough to add to your terms that you don't own their logos.
Thanks Josh.
Very similar IH post from me in January: https://www.indiehackers.com/post/did-you-ask-your-customers-for-permission-to-use-their-logos-on-your-site-1895a57b4e
Outcome: I didn't ask - just went for it and have not had any takedown requests
Beat me to it. People overthink this one (like most things).
I've only ever had a single company mention NOT using their logo (and it was before converting to a paid customer)..... and to date, they have yet to convert (even though I was cool not using their logo at all).
Whoa, just noticed that a BUNCH of comments on this thread are at 0 votes (this one too, which was a good comment), even though every comment seems to come with a single +1 from the author
Something is afoot at the Circle-K
Great replies. I should have searched first :)
Ask your attorney.
Not being a smart a$$.
Get the right information from an expert.
I sure would if I had an attorney.
Hey @soheilpro
It's also nice to ask permission to the companies to use their assets. Morally it's the right thing to do.
You might come across a problem when you ask for permission. Some companies might take a long time and maybe a couple of follow up emails to finally reply back, you would need to wait till then and it can be time-consuming.
To overcome this, you could possibly use the logos and then email the companies stating you have displayed the logos and ask them permission. This way, they might reply back sooner than later.
That's a good idea. Thanks.
Definitely need to ask first. And it's also polite thing to do. Doing the business together doesn't always mean each side is comfortable letting others know about it.
That's how I feel about it too. Thanks.
We usually ask. And we usually also ask for a testimonial or review from them that we can place on our site. I don't think anyone has ever refused to date.
I believe we also have a clause in our terms and conditions that they have to agree to before using our service that says something along the lines of "you give us permission to use your company name and logo for marketing purposes". But given that almost no one reads the T&Cs in detail, we usually reach out and ask just to make sure.
Thanks for the insight.