The addition of a "they trusted us" section on a professional's website can be a great asset since it allows prospects to identify the type of clients the professional works with, while constituting a proof of competence and legitimacy.

If you are a freelancer or a company manager, you probably wonder if you have the right to reproduce the logo of a client with whom you have worked in the "they trusted us" section of your website, without having obtained your client's authorization to use his logo.

First of all, it should be noted that you are asking yourself this question because the logo of a brand is protected by intellectual property law. For this reason, its use is regulated and any prohibited reproduction can be sanctioned.

However, in the case of a section relating to your customer references on your website, it is possible to reproduce a brand's logo without being formally authorized to do so, provided that the three rules set out below are respected.

1) First of all, you should use your client's logo for informational purposes only. This means that you must ensure that Internet users do not think that you identify your products or services thanks to this logo. It is advisable to be very vigilant on this aspect since the jurisprudence does not admit any "fault of inattention" in this field.

2) Secondly, be careful to remain as neutral as possible and not to speak for your customer. For example, don't imply that your products and services are popular with the brand if this is not the case.

3) Finally, always be sure to mention customers you've actually worked with - don't include your prospects.

If you reproduce a client's logo in spite of these three rules, you could be sanctioned for counterfeiting, unfair competition or deceptive commercial practices. The fines can be significant and the deterioration of the relationship with your former customers will probably be irreversible.

In order to avoid any risk of sanction or alteration of your relationship with your customers, it is always preferable to ask for your customers' agreement before reproducing their logo on your website. This will allow you to maintain a relationship of trust with your customers and to obtain a quality version of their logo. You can also take the opportunity to ask them to leave you a review that you can display on your website.

In conclusion, using the logo of one of your customers on your website without his authorization is possible but it is important to respect some rules in order not to infringe the intellectual property right and the best solution remains to ask for the authorization to use his logo from your customer to promote trustworthy relations, to obtain a quality version of the logo or even a positive opinion to publish.

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