Can I use competitors on one site?

[Lafilliate]

My thought is to be specific on a product and/or services, but there are several companies that sell the services I want to sell, all with credible names. So I would like to give some choices to the visitors of my site. Are there laws against this and will companies offering affiliate businesses allow their products or services to be, not necessarily on the same page, but on the same web-site with a competitor.
Thanks

[BradleyD.Haslam]

Hey,

Good question!

Specific sites have rules about this.
But there is no law regarding it.

For example, though I think it's ridiculous,
because they are only hurting themselves.
Dell or Compaq computers,
(I forget which one)
will not allow "any facsimile" of there trademarks,
images, name, etc. in any advertisement.
This would include a website advertising products of theirs.
(a way to get around this is a 'review' business model btw )

Most larger companies DO have a keyword clause in the affiliate agreement.
Look for this!

They want to reserve the trademark names that get searched,
keeping them for 'in house' advertisement.
But by not understanding keyword research,
they lose huge amounts of potential business
by not allowing "marketers" to do what they do best.
ie: finding angles for advertising within a market.

Anyway. A company (generally) has to be BIG
before they think about 'product recognition' as a factor.
And so, to think their name or trademarks will be searched for.

So, the point is, don't worry about it so much.
But DO read the agreements you make with ANY company.
It's just a good idea.

And if something confuses you in them,
ask for clarification in a forum.
People are usually willing to help out.

Hope it helps!
Brad.

ps-
There's a little tool that got introduced to me recently.
It's called "EULAlyzer".
And it's a free application from www.javacoolsoftware.com

It scans EULAs (End User License Agreements)
for any trouble words and bring them to your attention.

You know... Those long, boring things you never read.
Because they make your eyes dry out and stick open!

Here is the point:
It learns!
So you can create a list of trigger words,
and have it scan ANY agreement for you!!

Like I said, I just found this recently.
So I haven't got a list of words put together yet.

But if you think of words(or phrases),
post them!
Maybe we can get a list started right here!

I say, end the long reads of all that "legal ease"!

What do you think?

[Lafilliate]

Thanks for you help!
I will definitely download the software you recommended and give a shot. I believe in turning over every stone and use every resource. However this leaves me with little time to help others in the forum. I hope I can return someday without a full time job and give back to those who help me along the way. Again thanks for the good advise and good luck with your endeavors.

[Rosalind Gardner]

Hi Lafilliate

I think what you're planning is the best kind of site to build.

If you visit my dating site at Sage-Hearts.com, you'll see that's exactly what I do there.

There are hundreds of dating services, many with similar features, so I present them under separate categories, list the pros and cons and let the visitors decide.

Just like you and I, they like to have a choice. Just make sure you don't overwhelm them. Pick the best of the best - top 3 or 5 perhaps - and see what works best. You might want to eliminate those that don't sell as well after evaluating your conversion rates.

Cheers,
Ros

[profitclinic]

Just a quick note on why companies won't allow logos and trademarks to be used in ads, etc:

A company's #1 asset in the 21st century is typically its brands and other intellectual property.

But if they allow open use of those brands, they can lose legal control of them very easily. It makes litigating for infringements problematic but, if they fail to take remedial action against offenders, they run the risk of actually losing ownership of their own brands. So it's a no-win situation for them.

So don't be too quick to judge their refusal as foolish or self-defeating. Especially if they're publicly-owned companies... the stockholders wouldn't be too thrilled with any management team that allowed their #1 asset to be squandered like that.

John

John Counsel
CEO, The Profit Clinic

[tomncp]

Thanks for all information.....