Google Ads Trademark Complaint: Essential knowledge to Avoid Account Suspension

Google Ads serves as an essential platform for clients to advertise their brands. However, while it offers an easy-to-use marketing platform to boost your sales, clients have to abide by policies and regulations to avoid getting a Google Ads trademark complaint.

If a trademark owner submits a complaint to Google about the use of their trademark in Google Ads, the platform will review it and enforce restrictions on the advertiser for the unauthorized use of trademarks.

Google takes trademark issues seriously so that a Google Ads trademark complaint can cause delays to your scheduled campaign. In this article, we will give you awareness to help you safeguard against potential violations with trademarks.

 

What is a Trademark Violation in Google Ads?

In Google Ads, a trademark violation is whenever an advertiser uses a trademark or patented logo, slogan, or other marketing material from a brand without the proper permission and authorization documentation.

Google is always watching out for the safety and security of its clients. Advertisers should be aware that trademarks are only allowed when advertisers use them responsibly.

What You Need to Know About Using Trademarks in Ad Text

Here are some examples of how to use trademarks accurately in the right place and context:

Resellers

Resellers are in a position where they are allowed to use trademarks in ad copy if the ad’s landing page has the primary goal of selling products or services that are directly aligned with the trademark. In other words, the ad content must be relevant to the trademark so that the reseller is not simply hijacking a reputable name to drive traffic to a page about an unrelated product or service.

Advertisers must ensure that their ad copy and landing page content aligns with the product or service on offer and that it makes sense to include certain trademark materials.

Informational sites

Informational sites are allowed to incorporate trademarks in ad copy if the main purpose of the ad’s landing page matches the site content. However, the following examples are forbidden under the reseller and informational site policy:

• Ads associated with firms that are competing with one another.
• Ads with landing pages that prompt for a user’s personal information before displaying any commercial information.
• Ads without a clear purpose to distinguish whether the advertiser is associated with reselling or informational sites.

 

Ad extensions and other ad formats

Google states that “for certain ad extensions and formats only,” you can incorporate trademarks in your ads whenever you are referring to the trademark in order to provide additional information about the products or services you are advertising.

 

What About Using Trademarks As Keywords?

You are free to use trademarks as keywords. Google Ads do not restrict the usage of trademarks as keywords. Therefore, it’s possible for anyone to bid on your branded keyword terms.

With no restrictions on using trademarks as keywords, brand bidding can sometimes frustrate businesses who struggle to rank for their own branded terms.

Trademarks in display URLs

Google Ads can detect — and ultimately disapprove — the use of trademarks in ad copy. However, interestingly, you are free to use trademarks in an ad’s display URL — the website URL that is shown with the ad in Google search engine results pages (SERPs).

Whenever anyone files a complaint about an Expanded Text ad with Google Ads, the platform may restrict a trademark from displaying in the subdomain of an advertiser’s Display URL. However, you should know that the ad in question may not actually be disapproved, and could, therefore, still show to users on the Display or Search network.

However, instead of being disapproved, no subdomains will appear in the Display URL of the ad. Trademark owners can contact the advertiser directly if they have any other concerns about Display URLs.

Trademarks EU (European Union) and EFTA (European Free Trade Association) regions

Targeting the EU and EFTA, the conventional policies set by the Google Ads Trademark rules and regulations apply, without any outliers.

Provided that the combination of keywords and ad is simple and easy-to-read, ads targeting EU and EFTA regions can incorporate trademarks as keywords. For example:

• Ads using a term synonymous rather than an explicit mention of the trademark
• Ads for the sale of products or services, replacement parts, or compatible products or services corresponding to the trademark.
• Ads for sites with landing pages that include information which associates directly with the trademark
• For certain ad extensions and formats only: Ads referring to the trademark to provide additional information about the advertised products or services.

 

How the Trademark Policy Affects Advertisers?

However, if you are in the advertiser, you will be held fully accountable for each ad content published.

Let’s say if a trademark owner files a Google Trademark complaint regarding the misuse of their trademark in ads, Google will take reactionary measures to process and review the complaint.

As a foreseeable result, Google may choose to enforce stricter regulations and restrictions on the use of the trademark. Hence, in return, there may be less flexibility in the features provided by Google Ads.

 

i- Checklist for advertisers on Trademarks policy approval statuses

• Ads marked as ‘Approved’ – corresponds with Google Ad policies, including Trademark policies and can proceed to run ads in specified regions
• Ads marked as ‘Disapproved’ – These ads do not correspond with Google Ad policies, including Trademark policies, and therefore, the platform will not run these ads in specified regions.
• Ads marked as ‘Approved’ (limited) – are only eligible to run in certain targeted regions, or are not currently available as they do not correspond with the Reseller and informational site policy.

 

ii- Request authorization to use a trademark

If you wish to override the trademark policy, you will need to file for authorization, following these simple steps:

Firstly, identify the person who owns the trademark. If you don’t know who owns the trademark, and cannot find out, then you should use the Google Ads authorization form.

Select “No” to indicate that you are not the designated trademark owner.
 

 
After selecting “No,” add the necessary details as requested in the form and proceed to submit your authorization form.
 

 
After you submit all the details that were requested on the site, Google Ads may be able to conduct efficient research to locate the information of the trademark owner. However, you may also need to reach out to existing business contacts or conduct your research, following your own research methods to gauge appropriate information.

iii- Resellers and informational sites

In any case, if your designated ads tick the checkboxes and are in compliance with the reseller and informational site policy requirements, ads using trademarks can continue to run.

iv- Landing page content

One method of determining policy compliance must be evident in the form of text on your ad’s landing page.

If your landing page provides that information through visual formats such as Flash, videos, or images, it may be easily disapproved without pure consideration.

v- Keyword URLs

So, how about keyword URLs?

Similarly, as seen in the steps above, Google will evaluate the landing pages on whether it is compliant with the Google Ads Trademark policies.

vi- Low-density volume keywords

For low-density volume keywords, the Google Ads Trademark policy is not in compliance with these ads.

vii- Ad formats

For specific ad formats and features, the Google Ads Trademark is similarly not in compliance with these ads. You can either remove the designated trademarks or under certain circumstances, request authorization.

How will Google Ads Trademark Policy Affect Trademark Owners?

The Google Ads Trademark policy has some stringent measures to control the use of trademarks and to prevent any advertisers from unfairly taking advantage of another brand. If you have an issue that you want to raise with Google Ads, you can submit a complaint by following the straightforward steps below.

Remember that the onus is on the advertiser to provide full details on the degree of the trademark violation to conduct a substantial review.

Submit a Google Ads trademark complaint

Verify that you are eligible to submit a complaint:

• Trademark owners usually send out complaints unless the owner chooses to email ads-trademarks@google.com for the third-party to act as a representative for the trademark owner

 

How do you send a Google Ads trademark complaint?

Once you click on the link, Google will direct you to a form.

Be as concise as possible – provide all the necessary details.
 

 
Information:

After providing the necessary details, click Next:
 

 
Details:

Then, specify each infringement details and attach supporting documentation, click Next:
 

 
Scope:

Elaborate on the degree in which the advertiser violated your trademark policy. Specify whether the target group is for a specific advertiser or all advertisers. If possible, place the URLs. The more detail you provide, the easier it is for the team at Google Ads to investigate the matter.
 

 
Clarification and legal affirmations:

Attach all supporting documents you have to support your claim of a Google Ads trademark complaint. Also, take time to read and check the legal affirmations that confirm your agreement and consent with the terms. When you’re ready, select preview.
 

 
Preview:

Take a closer look at the supporting documents and arguments put forth. Click submit when it is ready.
 

 
You will receive an auto-generated email to reaffirm your submission.
 

 
Once Google Ads reviews your complaint, they will proceed to send a response to the email address stating the outcome of its review.

 
Google will review all the supporting documents and make their evaluation to determine whether their policy has been violated. If this is the case, the platform will take appropriate action to rectify the matter.

Wrap Up

If you want to avoid falling foul of a Google Ads Trademark complaint, make sure you abide by Google Ad policies. The platform has some strict regulations that advertisers need to be mindful of when using it, as an honest mistake or two can swiftly lead to an account suspension.

Keep in mind that Google Ads trademark issues can cause significant delays to your paid advertising campaigns. Such a setback may have serious implications for your return on investment (ROI), especially if you run into problems during an important seasonal campaign.

You can learn about circumventing system policy violation in Google Ads.

Furthermore, remember that informational sites can use trademarks in ad copies if the primary purpose of the ad’s landing page is to provide details about products or services that correspond to the trademark. Last but not least, if you choose to file a complaint, don’t forget to provide full details to facilitate a thorough and effective review.

If you want to stay on the right side of Google Ads policies, learn more by reading our blog, 6 Reasons Why Google Ads Policies Are Rejecting Your Ads.