Referencing Company Names, Products, or Product's Applications

[Quik]

I'm curious what constitutes proprietary information. Would it be legal to post online or create a website (with or without profit gains) information relating to company/MFG names, their part numbers, or applications of their parts?

I've noticed the following:
1. People appear to be free to post that XYZ computer processor and RAM fits motherboard ZYX.
2. Many automotive part retailers (and part catalog websites) claim, in their TOS that using their information is not allowed. (Such sites that maintain a database of parts and the vehicles that they fit on.)

• 
  Such websites state that "none of the material on this website may be copied, reproduced, published, displayed, downloaded, etc., without permission"

Is it or is it not legal to discuss, post, redistribute, etc., information such as:
"Company A produces part B1 that fits on car C, while company Z produces part B2 that also fits on car C"?
If it is legal, how can these companies claim that it cannot be "reproduced" when such information could be considered common knowledge?

Thanks

 

[Zigner]

What class is this for?

 

[quincy]

Facts and ideas cannot be protected under copyright law, but how these facts are expressed are copyright-protectable.

Therefore, a website page containing facts can be rights-protected and you cannot reproduce or duplicate the page without infringing on the website owner's rights.

For example, you cannot duplicate any tables or charts or, often, the selection of facts or the ordering of the facts, or the banners or images on a page, or text. The creative and original content is copyright protected.

But you can pull facts from a creative and original work and use the facts.*

If you are thinking of starting a website using material from other websites, you would probably be smart to have your plans personally reviewed by a professional in your area.


*some exceptions may apply