Trademarks in Google Ads: the policy and complaints

This guide is built from Google's Advertising Policies Help: Trademarks, the Google Ads Trademark Troubleshooter and Google Ads account suspensions overview. How policy statuses and appeals work in general is in our Policy Manager guide, and keeping your ads away from other brands' searches in our brand exclusions guide.

What the policy says

Google says Google Ads and Display & Video 360 "abide by local trademark laws and protects the rights of trademark owners, so we don't allow ads that infringe trademark rights." At the same time, advertisers "may use trademarks that belong to others in certain situations", such as when identifying a product for sale. The policy balances the two through a review that looks at where and how a trademark is used.

It starts with a complaint

The Trademarks policy works on complaints. Google's wording: "If a trademark owner submits a complaint to Google about the use of their trademark in Google Ads and Display & Video 360 ads, we'll review it and may restrict use of the trademark." In other words, using another company's name in an ad isn't automatically blocked; restrictions follow a complaint and review. A restriction shows up as a policy status on the affected ads (see our Policy Manager guide for what each status means).

Where the trademark is used

When Google reviews a complaint, the first question is where the trademark appears. It "must be used in the ad, not only on the ad's landing page." Google will not restrict:

• Trademarks as keywords. Bidding on another company's brand name is outside this policy. If you want to keep your own ads off brand searches, that is a job for brand exclusions or negative keywords.
• Trademarks in the second-level domain of the display URL, the main part of the domain shown in the ad.

So the policy is about the words people see in the ad itself: headlines, descriptions and other ad text.

How the trademark is used

Next, Google looks at how the trademark is used. It will restrict:

• trademarks used in an ad from a direct competitor;
• ads that use the trademark "in a confusing, deceptive, or misleading way".

It will not restrict:

• ads whose landing page mainly sells, or clearly helps sell, the trademarked products or services, or their components, replacement parts or compatible products;
• ads whose landing page mainly gives information about the trademarked products or services, or an index of search results about the trademark;
• ads that use the term descriptively, in its ordinary meaning.

The descriptive point matters for brand names that are also everyday words: using the word in its normal sense, not as a reference to the brand, is not restricted.

Resellers and informational sites

Resellers and review or comparison sites can use a brand name in ad text, with conditions. For resellers, Google says "The ad's landing page must clearly provide a way to purchase the products or services and display commercial information about them, such as rates or prices." In both cases, "The ad and landing page must be clear as to whether the advertiser is a reseller or informational site." A shop selling a brand's products, a repair business for a brand's devices, or a parts supplier should make that relationship plain on the page the ad leads to.

For trademark owners: complaints

Trademark owners don't complain through the Google Ads account. Google points to its Report Content On Google form, where you choose Google Ads and the legal reason. Two rules shape what a complaint can achieve:

• Google "will only accept complaints against specific advertisers identified on the basis of their URL(s) within the countries and industries in which trademark owners have demonstrated trademark rights."
• If Google restricts a trademark after review, the restriction is generally applied on an ongoing basis to ads that use the same second-level domain in their final URL.

So a complaint names the advertisers you object to, by website, and covers the countries and industries where you can show rights. It doesn't cover keyword bidding, which the policy leaves unrestricted. The Trademark Troubleshooter also routes owners who want to check a complaint's status, report a live ad, or disagree with an outcome.

Authorising an advertiser

A trademark owner can allow specific advertisers, such as resellers, partners or their own agency, to use the trademark in ads, or withdraw an earlier complaint. Both go through the same troubleshooter: choose "Trademark owner or authorized representative of the trademark owner", then "I would like to authorize an advertiser to use my trademark(s) in their ads or revoke a previous trademark complaint I have submitted". If you run ads for a brand you don't own, ask the owner to authorise your account before using the brand in ad text.

If your ads are restricted

If you think your ads were restricted wrongly, Google says you can appeal "by following the instructions in the notifications associated with those restrictions". The troubleshooter splits advertiser cases into two kinds:

• the ad doesn't use the term as a reference to the trademark, for example it uses the word in its ordinary meaning, or for goods or services that don't correspond to the trademark;
• the ad does refer to the trademark but shouldn't be restricted under the policy, for example because you resell the products or offer compatible goods or services.

Google adds a warning: if you create new ads that violate the policy after appealing, restrictions will generally stay in place whatever changes you make. Before appealing, check that the landing page actually meets the reseller or informational conditions above. The general appeal steps are in our Policy Manager guide.

Warnings and suspensions

Trademarks is not one of the policies that suspend an account straight away. Google says "Violations of this policy won't lead to immediate account suspension without prior warning", and that it issues a warning at least 7 days before suspending an account. Repeated violations can still lead to suspension, so treat warnings seriously.

How we handle trademarks in campaigns

This is our own practice, not Google's guidance or legal advice:

• We don't put competitors' brand names in ad text. Where a client bids on competitor terms, the ads talk about the client's own offer.
• For resellers, we make sure the landing page shows the products with prices and a way to buy, and says clearly that the client is a reseller.
• When a client sells through partners, we suggest the client authorises those partners' ad accounts, so their ads aren't caught by an earlier complaint.
• If a restriction looks wrong, we fix the page first, then appeal with a short explanation that matches one of Google's two cases.

If you want help with Google Ads, see our services.

Frequently asked questions

Can I bid on a competitor's brand name in Google Ads?

The Trademarks policy doesn't restrict using trademarks as keywords. It covers trademarks in the ad text itself.

Can I use a brand name in my ad text?

It depends. Google may restrict it after a complaint, especially for direct competitors or confusing use, but not for resellers or informational sites whose landing pages meet Google's conditions, or for descriptive use of an ordinary word.

How do I file a trademark complaint against an ad?

Through Google's Report Content On Google form, or the Google Ads Trademark Troubleshooter. Complaints name specific advertisers by URL, in countries and industries where you have shown trademark rights.

How do I let a reseller use my trademark in ads?

Use the Google Ads Trademark Troubleshooter and choose the option to authorise an advertiser to use your trademarks or revoke a previous complaint.

Will a trademark violation suspend my account?

Not immediately. Google issues a warning at least 7 days before suspending an account for this policy.

For more on Google Ads policies, see our guides to Policy Manager and advertiser verification.