Google Updates Trademark Policy

By: Mahmoud Lattouf
General Manager

Google recently updated its Google Ads Trademark policy, which will affect how the company investigates trademark complaints going forward. As of July 24, 2023, Google will only accept and process trademark complaints against specific advertisers and ads, rather than all advertisers in the trademark owner's industry.

This change means that trademark holders will need to be more vigilant in monitoring for infringing content. Under the previous policy, Google would restrict unauthorized use among all advertisers in the same country and industry. Under the new policy, however, trademark holders must specifically identify each infringing ad or party.

To file a trademark complaint, trademark holders must first gather evidence of the infringement. This evidence could include screenshots of the infringing content, links to the infringing ads, or copies of cease-and-desist letters that have been sent to the infringer. Once the evidence has been gathered, trademark holders can file a complaint through the Google Complaint Center.

In the complaint, trademark holders must include all relevant information, such as the trademark that has been infringed, the infringing party's contact information, and the evidence of infringement. Google will then review the complaint and take action if it determines that trademark infringement has occurred.

The new Google Ads Trademark policy is a significant change for trademark holders. By requiring trademark holders to specifically identify each infringing ad or party, Google is making it more difficult for trademark holders to file frivolous complaints.

To protect their trademarks on Google Ads, trademark holders are advised to:
-Consider registering their trademarks in jurisdictions where they operate (Proactive step)
-Consider implementing a comprehensive watch mechanism to monitor the unauthorized use of their trademarks on Google Ads (Surveillance) 
-Report to Google any incident where their trademark has been used submitting all available evidence (Action)

By following these tips, trademark holders can help protect their brands and ensure that their trademarks are not used in an unauthorized manner on Google Ads. AGIP can assist in all three steps. Please feel free to contact us if you need further information or assistance.