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I'm part owner in small business that produces a test and diagnostic system for control valves. We do not now, or ever plan to produce the valves themselves. Our system works with a wide range of manufacturer valve, and some of these manufacturers market and sell their own diagnostic systems.
In our ads, we would like to show our system connected with multiple control valves to get the point across that we are not vendor or valve type specific. One of our selling points is the ease with which the user can test multiple types of valves.
My question is: Are we allowed to use the image of a product produced by another company, in this case, images of their valve, with out test system? Can the image show any of the valve’s manufacturer's logos, or trademarks? Is the image OK if we don’t show any logo or trademarks? We have no intention of making any claims about the specifics of the valve, other than to show that our system can test it. In fact, we don't plan to mention any company names, or products, beside our own.
A valid comparison might be a wrench manufacturer, showing different automobile models in an ad - to show that their wrench works with multiple automobiles. Another example might be a digital camera memory card manufacturer showing multiple cameras in an ad to show their cards work with a wide range of cameras- even if some of those camera manufactures produce memory cards that are competing.
In general, what rules apply when using images of other manufacturer’s products in an ad? Again- we are making NO claims about how the valves perform.
I'm part owner in small business that produces a test and diagnostic system for control valves. We do not now, or ever plan to produce the valves themselves. Our system works with a wide range of manufacturer valve, and some of these manufacturers market and sell their own diagnostic systems.
In our ads, we would like to show our system connected with multiple control valves to get the point across that we are not vendor or valve type specific. One of our selling points is the ease with which the user can test multiple types of valves.
My question is: Are we allowed to use the image of a product produced by another company, in this case, images of their valve, with out test system? Can the image show any of the valve’s manufacturer's logos, or trademarks? Is the image OK if we don’t show any logo or trademarks? We have no intention of making any claims about the specifics of the valve, other than to show that our system can test it. In fact, we don't plan to mention any company names, or products, beside our own.
A valid comparison might be a wrench manufacturer, showing different automobile models in an ad - to show that their wrench works with multiple automobiles. Another example might be a digital camera memory card manufacturer showing multiple cameras in an ad to show their cards work with a wide range of cameras- even if some of those camera manufactures produce memory cards that are competing.
In general, what rules apply when using images of other manufacturer’s products in an ad? Again- we are making NO claims about how the valves perform.