If you're like me, companies and brands seem to never want to give you their fonts, logos and other assets on time. So you end up either having to work with some bitmap you found on Google Images or you try your luck at Best Brands of the World (http://www.brandsoftheworld.com/). Best Brands can be a lifesaver (although it's legality is questionable), and most designers know about it and use it. The problem is, often the logos are very good, but even more often, they're missing the exact one you need or it's a bit off.
A technique I've learned lately is pretty much spot on. Basically, Google the name of the company and limit your file type to PDF (filetype:pdf). If you keep an eye on the URL, you'll often end up snagging a PDF document off of their website, in which their designer obviously used the official version of their vector logo. Download the file, and open it in Adobe Illustrator, deleting everything you don't need (or just copy and paste where you want it).
I realize this can also be abused, but as a designer, this holds priceless value. Now if only you can be lucky enough to find a true RGB version of that vector logo. Google doesn't let you limit your search to colorspace yet.
