Hi, I have had requests from companies asking me to remove their trademarks from my website as I did not request permission. (their logos were hosted on my site) My question is, is it illegal to display the trademark if it is actually hosted somewhere else (and not on my server)?
No. YOU are displaying their trademark. You can't get off the hook just because the trademarks are not on your server. Take them down.
Absolutley! You must must MUST get the consent of the companies who own the trade mark before displaying it anywhere. It is usually quite simple to obtain their permission by way of a licensing agreement in which you would probably have to pay a fee but would be legitimately able to have the trade marks showing on your site for a specified time period.
Yes, it is probably illegal, but I think it could be legal depending on how it is presented. They own the trademark they have the right to do what they want. On the other hand, when I watch the daily news on TV, I can see many company's logos and I think that that news channel contacted company to get their permission. I tend to think that you could probably use their logo in some situations.