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I would like to use Drupal, Joomla, WP and other well known recognized icons instead of written tags on my website. They would be like 16x16 pixels big.

Is this OK?

I mean it is just for information purposes for the user, which technology is used etc. it is not a commercial project either.

What about asp.net, apple, android and other big names?

Is it ok to use icons like e.g. these guys http://alternativeto.net/category/

I am just asking, because this world is weird and you hear all the time about the patent wars in mass media.

EDIT: Are icons on the website/firefox plugin like wappalyzer.com illegal or not?

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  • Can't get to Wappalyzer at the moment, but in general MS, Apple, etc. have guidelines roughly along the lines of: 3rd parties may use the Logo without a license provided that the area in which the logo is used includes the logo of at least 1 other company with which you have a similar relationship or in an area of a website exclusively dedicated to the sale of Microsoft products. So they're probably fine.
    – Zhaph - Ben Duguid
    Jul 24, 2012 at 10:31

2 Answers 2

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Most of these open source applications and frameworks who have logos ready for you to use with minor limitations compared to commercial applications. Every company you listed should have a page similar to the ones below outlining what you can and cannot do with their logos.

WordPress http://wordpress.org/about/logos/

Drupal http://drupal.org/drupal-media-kit

Joomla http://www.joomla.org/about-joomla/the-project/conditional-use-logos.html

Zend Framework http://framework.zend.com/community/logo/

jQuery http://jquery.org/about/

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  • OK, but e.g. Microsoft doesn't allow the usage of their logo on the webpage like the website alternativeto and many others e.g. videogames pages do. E.g. logos of xbox, windows logo, apple logo. Can they be sued or not?
    – Derfder
    Jul 23, 2012 at 20:33
  • Sure they could be sued, but just like Facebook outlines how you can and cannot use or modify their logo, how many websites do you see doing it? I can find hundreds of variations of Microsofts logo, Facebooks and all others. If you're some sort of certified partner of MS I wouldn't modify their logo and stay within their usage guidelines.
    – Anagio
    Jul 23, 2012 at 20:56
  • OK, one last question. Is there a warning from big companies like Microsoft or Apple so I can remove the icons 16x16 or they will sue me without a warning? Does it matter if I am from EU and not USA? E.g. Wappalyzer uses these icons and it is used a lot among web developers webcache.googleusercontent.com/…
    – Derfder
    Jul 23, 2012 at 21:39
  • You can see in wappalyzer windows server icon, asp.net icon. Is it illegal? I think wappalyzer is quite big, will Microsoft sue them, or you can use icons for an informative purpose?
    – Derfder
    Jul 23, 2012 at 21:46
  • I have ticked your answer as the best, however if you could answer my additional questions in my recent 2 comments it would be great. and why these guys here zive.cz/bleskovky/… (the biggest IT news portal in Czech republic are using logos of windows and apple in the comments (for indication your operating system and browser) Thanks
    – Derfder
    Jul 24, 2012 at 6:21
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In addition to looking at what the owners of the logos themselves say about use,there are a couple of other things you need to think about:

Firstly, you may not be legally obliged to follow the rules laid down by the company. In the case of copyrighted logos, you may qualify for "fair use" exemption for example - and many company logos simply don't qualify for copyright protection anyway, as plain words and simple geometric shapes are not copyrightable.

Secondly, logos of companies are usually protected by trademark law, not just copyright law. How this applies depends on which legal jurisdiction you are in, and which the owner of the trademark is in.

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  • So what about wapppalyzer, alternativeto.net and many other websites. For example a lot of websites in discussion can identify your operating system and display an icon of it and your browser like here for example (zive.cz is the biggest Czech online IT website) : connect.zive.cz/clanky/…
    – Derfder
    Jul 23, 2012 at 22:19

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