internet trademark austria
Can I use logos of brands, companies and/or services in a website for linking to my content on those services?
<p>Specifically, can I use the youtube logo on my website as a button to link to a video on youtube that I made?</p>
<p>What if I trace the logo, and/or change it a little to fit with the general theme of the website, e.g. crop it to a square shape? Or if I trace the logo badly, and it ends up similar, but not 100% the same (e.g., the gradient is slightly off)?</p>
<p>Should I declare anything specific on my website?</p>
<p>What if I use e.g. the Apple Logo to link to Apple Music (which has a different Logo)?</p>
<p>And the last, maybe most important question: What if I do it anyway? Can I expect a takedown request, a full-on lawsuit, or nothing at all?</p>
<p>P.S.: I'm based in austria, but please still answer the question if you're only knowledgable in other countries' law systems, since I think this may also be helpful for other people.</p>

<p>Since YouTube expects people to link to their site, they have guidelines on what are acceptable methods. You <em>should not</em> alter the logo, instead use a recommended logo from their website, or follow their rules for creating a customized logo that meets their requirements.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/intl/en-GB/about/brand-resources/#logos-icons-colors" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/intl/en-GB/about/brand-resources/#logos-icons-colors</a></p>
<p>Apple is more complicated:</p>
<p><a href="https://www.apple.com/legal/intellectual-property/guidelinesfor3rdparties.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.apple.com/legal/intellectual-property/guidelinesfor3rdparties.html</a></p>
