Can I Use A Customer's Logo On My Website?

Usually, yes, you can use a customer's logo on your website - but only if you have their permission, and only in the way they've agreed to.

That might sound simple, but logo use can get a little nuanced. A customer's logo may be a registered trade mark, part of their confidential brand guidelines, or linked to a customer relationship they don't want made public yet.

If you're building a testimonials page, client logo strip, pitch deck or case study, a clear written permission can save you an awkward takedown request later. It also helps your marketing team know exactly what they can and can't publish.

Can I Use Customer Logos On My Website?

Yes, you can use customer logos on your website if you have permission from the customer and your use doesn't mislead anyone.

In practice, this usually means you need consent to display their name, logo or branding in your marketing. The safest way to get that consent is in writing, either in your customer contract, website terms, a separate logo consent form, or an email approval that clearly identifies what they're approving.

There are two main legal issues to think about.

• Trade mark rights: A logo may be registered as a trade mark under the Trade Marks Act 1995 (Cth). Trade mark owners can control how their marks are used in connection with goods and services.
• Misleading conduct: The Australian Consumer Law, which sits in Schedule 2 of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth), prohibits misleading or deceptive conduct. Your website shouldn't suggest a bigger relationship than the one that exists.

For example, if your customer only bought one small project from you in 2023, it may be risky to place their logo under a heading like Our Strategic Partners. A heading like Clients We've Worked With is usually more accurate, assuming you have permission.

You should also consider confidentiality. If your customer hasn't publicly announced that they use your product or service, displaying their logo may reveal information they expected you to keep private.

Do I Need Written Permission To Use A Client Logo?

Yes, written permission is strongly recommended because it gives you a clear record of what your customer agreed to.

A phone call or casual conversation can feel enough at the time, especially when the relationship is friendly. But if your contact leaves the company, or your customer's legal team reviews the website later, you may need to show exactly what was approved.

Written permission can come from a few places:

• Your customer contract: This is often the cleanest option because the consent and customer terms are agreed before the work starts.
• A statement of work or order form: This can work well if you only want permission for a specific project or campaign.
• A separate marketing consent form: Useful when you want to ask existing customers for permission after the contract is already signed.
• An email approval: This can be helpful for one-off use, as long as the email is specific and comes from someone with authority.

The key is to avoid vague wording like we can use your logo for marketing without saying where, how long for and what type of marketing is covered.

If you're dealing with a larger company, government body, franchise network or well-known brand, expect stricter approval rules. They may require you to use an approved logo file, follow brand guidelines, include a disclaimer, or get every case study signed off before publication.

What Should A Customer Logo Permission Clause Say?

A customer logo permission clause should say what you can use, where you can use it, for how long, and when you need to remove it.

Templates often miss these details, which is where disputes tend to start. A short clause can be enough, but it should be tailored to your business model, your sales process and the type of customers you work with.

Fill-In Outline For A Logo Permission Clause

Here is a practical outline you can use as a starting point. A lawyer should tailor it before you use it in a customer contract.

1. Customer Materials: Define what you're allowed to use, such as the customer's name, logo, trade marks and approved brand assets.
2. Purpose: State that the use is for your marketing, promotional and sales materials, or narrow it to your website only.
3. Channels: List where the logo can appear, such as your website, pitch decks, social media, proposals, award submissions or email newsletters.
4. Case Studies: Say whether case studies need separate written approval before publication.
5. Brand Guidelines: Confirm you'll follow any reasonable brand guidelines the customer gives you.
6. No Endorsement: Make clear that logo use doesn't mean the customer endorses every product or service you offer.
7. Term: Set how long you can use the logo, such as during the contract term and for 12 months after it ends, unless withdrawn earlier.
8. Removal Process: State how the customer can ask for removal and how quickly you'll take the logo down.
9. Approval Contact: Identify who can approve marketing materials on the customer's side.

For a simple website logo strip, you might only need a short permission. For a detailed case study with results, screenshots, quotes and commercial details, you'll want more control around approvals.

Can A Case Study Use A Customer Logo?

Yes, a case study can use a customer logo if the customer consents and the case study is accurate, approved and not confidential.

Case studies carry more risk than a simple logo strip because they usually say more about the relationship. They might mention the customer's business problems, internal processes, results, numbers, software stack or future plans.

Before publishing a case study, check whether it includes anything your privacy policy or contract restricts, such as:

• the customer's name, logo or trade marks
• quotes from their staff
• before-and-after results or performance data
• screenshots of dashboards, systems or customer information
• details of pricing, deliverables or commercial terms
• personal information covered by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) or the Australian Privacy Principles

Say you run a digital agency in Brisbane and you helped a cafe group increase online bookings from 500 to 750 per month over 3 months. Those numbers are great marketing, but you shouldn't publish the cafe's logo, screenshots of its booking system and a quote from its operations manager unless the cafe has approved that specific case study.

A good evidence of use process is to send the final draft for approval and keep the approval on file. If the customer requests changes, record the final approved version. This makes it much easier to manage the page later if your team updates the website or repurposes the content for a sales deck.

When Can Logo Use Create Trade Mark Or Confidentiality Risks?

Logo use can create trade mark or confidentiality risks when your website suggests a connection that isn't accurate, or when you reveal information the customer expected you to keep confidential.

A trade mark doesn't stop every mention of a brand. Businesses can sometimes refer to another business in a descriptive way. But placing a customer's logo prominently on your homepage is more than a passing reference. It uses their brand value to promote your business, so permission matters.

Watch out for these common risk areas:

• Implied endorsement: Your website suggests the customer recommends your services when they only purchased from you once.
• Wrong category: You list the customer under partners, sponsors or certified users when that isn't true.
• Outdated relationship: You keep using a logo years after the customer stopped working with you.
• Brand guideline breaches: You stretch the logo, change colours, crop it, or place it next to content the customer wouldn't approve.
• Confidential engagement: Your contract or NDA says the relationship itself is confidential.
• Regulated industries: Health, finance, education and government customers may have extra internal approval rules, even where the law doesn't set a separate logo rule.

You should also be careful with claims like trusted by, approved by or official provider for. Those phrases can be powerful, but they need to be true. If they overstate the relationship, they may raise Australian Consumer Law issues.

If your customer has a registered trade mark, you can search for it through IP Australia's trade mark search tools. That won't tell you whether you have permission, but it can help you understand why the customer may be protective of the logo.

How Should I Ask For Customer Logo Permission?

You should ask for customer logo permission in a specific, low-friction way that makes it easy for the customer to say yes and clear about what they're approving.

If you're asking an existing customer, don't just write, Can we use your logo? Give them the context. Tell them where the logo will appear, whether you'll use any quotes or results, and whether they can review the final version.

A Simple Email Structure

You can use this structure as a starting point:

1. Explain the use: Say you would like to feature the customer's logo on your website or in a specific case study.
2. Attach or link the draft: Include the page mock-up, case study draft or exact wording you're asking them to approve.
3. Set the scope: State whether approval covers your website only, or also sales decks, proposals and social media.
4. Ask for brand assets: Request the correct logo file and any brand guidelines.
5. Confirm removal rights: Say they can ask you to remove the logo by written notice, and state the timeframe you'll work to.
6. Get clear approval: Ask them to reply with words like Approved for use as described.

Here's a worked example. Priya runs a SaaS business and wants to add 8 customer logos to her homepage before a funding pitch. For new customers, her service agreement says she can use their logo on her website and investor materials during the contract and for 12 months after it ends, unless they opt out in writing. For 3 older customers, there's no clause. Priya sends each of them a screenshot of the proposed homepage section, asks for approval, and promises to remove the logo within 10 business days if requested. Two approve, one says no. Priya uses only the 7 logos she has permission for and avoids a last-minute complaint before the pitch.

What Should I Do If A Customer Asks Me To Remove Their Logo?

You should remove the logo promptly, check your contract, and keep a record of what happened.

Even if you believe you had permission, a takedown request is usually not the moment to argue on the homepage. In many cases, removing the logo quickly protects the relationship and reduces the risk of a broader complaint.

Work through it in this order:

1. Pause further use: Stop using the logo in new marketing while you review the request.
2. Remove public uses: Take it off your website, landing pages and active social media ads as soon as practical.
3. Check the documents: Review the customer contract, order form, NDA, acceptable use policy, brand guidelines and any email approvals.
4. Audit other materials: Search sales decks, proposal templates, email sequences, pitch materials and downloadable PDFs.
5. Confirm removal: Let the customer know what you've removed and when.
6. Update your process: Add a clearer consent clause or approval workflow so the issue doesn't repeat.

There isn't a single Australian law that gives every customer the same fixed logo removal notice period. The timeframe usually comes from your contract, consent form, brand approval terms or the urgency of the complaint.

If the customer alleges trade mark infringement, breach of confidence, misleading conduct or a breach of contract, get advice before responding in detail. A careful response can help you resolve the issue commercially without turning it into a bigger dispute.

Key Takeaways

• You should get written permission before using a customer's logo on your website, especially if the logo is prominent or the customer is well known.
• Your permission wording should cover the logo, where it can appear, how long you can use it, approvals, brand guidelines and removal rights.
• Case studies need extra care because they often include quotes, results, screenshots, confidential information or personal information.
• Logo use can create trade mark, confidentiality and Australian Consumer Law risks if it suggests an endorsement or partnership that doesn't exist.
• If a customer asks you to remove their logo, act quickly, check your documents and update your approval process for next time.

If you'd like help with your customer contracts, logo permission wording, case study approvals or marketing compliance, you can reach us at 1800 730 617 or team@sprintlaw.com.au for a free, no-obligations chat.