Company Names in Meta Tags?

Any copyright problems?

[swoop]

I'm working on an site about widgets, with articles about the history of widgets, famous people who use widgets, environmental aspects of widgets, etc. I expect to place some AdSense ads on the site.

Are there any limitation on my use of company names and product names in the site? How about in meta tags and alt tags?

In the meta tags, can I mention General Widgets, American Telephone and Widgets Company, etc.? How about meta tags mentioning product names like Widg-O-Matic?

[troels nybo nielsen]

If I had a website about webmastering I might write an article about WebmasterWorld. Of course I would use WebmasterWorld's name not only in the main text but also in the title, in the meta description and in the meta keywords. That would only be natural.

Companies cannot forbid you to write articles about them. And if you write articles about them of course you have to mention their names.

But be careful with the accuracy of the articles. If you use registered trademarks in your articles it might be a good idea to specifically say so. And avoid anything that might look like spamming.

[foxtunes]

I think problems arise when you insert trademarked names in metatags, but the page or site has nothing to do with the trademarked name, or is pushing a rivals product.

But pages with reviews, news, info about trademarked names, in nearly all cases, are classed as fair use. As long as you aren't misrepresenting the company or slandering them.

If in doubt though seek legal advice, before sinking your hard earned pesos into a site that may later bring you into disrepute.