Forum Moderators: not2easy
if I am an affiliate for webmasterworld for example, I can put a web page on my site about them, using their "about us" and their logo and my affiliate link? the page will be something like "about webmaster world" and a copyright note on the page stating that this content and logo are courtesy of webmasterworld for example.
will that be breaking copyrights rules? do I need a permission to do it? my affiliate directory is about domain names, so do I need to contact them all for permission or just put a copyright note?
thank you
As a business person (not a lawyer, which I am not), the first thing I would do is check my affiliate agreement with the company in question (or their affiliate policies if you work through an aggregator). Normally, firms with affiliates spell out in great detail how their affiliates can use their name, logo, content, etc.
When in doubt, ask permission. Maybe even if you aren't in doubt. If you are promoting their company, I'd expect them to agree to reasonable use of their logo and name, but it never hurts to ask.
Personally, I'd take a minute to rewrite the "about" text anyway. That way, there's no copyright issue nor do you have duplicate content for search engines to find.
If you don't understand it, ask a lawyer to explain it to you.
BTW, there's an outfit being discussed on another thread here that does exactly what you are wanting to do, albeit without being an affiliate. That is, they go around copying people's "about us" pages, verbatim, and with logos, without asking their permission, and stuffing it in a Wiki.
It is possible to "opt out" - that is, if you know about the site in the first place.
It's causing quite a bit of controversy...
(And, yes, WebmasterWorld's "about us" page is there. Not sure if they have permission or not.)
