Google Ads Trademark Enforcement – How to Protect Your Brand

You’ve spent years building your brand. The logo, the name, the tagline—it’s not just your baby, it’s your business. So when you see competitors using your trademarked brand terms in their Google Ads, it can feel like someone walked into your store, slapped their own price tag on your product, and started selling it out from under you. Not cool.

The good news? Google does have a trademark enforcement process. The bad news? It’s not exactly plug-and-play. That’s why we’re breaking down everything you need to know about protecting your trademark on Google Ads—what misuse looks like, why it matters, and how to enforce your rights.

First Off, What Does Trademark Misuse Look Like in Google Ads?

Before we go all-in on enforcement, let’s define what we’re even talking about.

Trademark misuse on Google Ads can show up in a few sneaky ways:

Competitors bidding on your branded keywords

Yes, unfortunately, this is technically allowed under Google’s policies. Competitors can bid on your brand name (like “YourBrandName”) as a keyword so their ad appears when someone searches for you. What they can’t do—without permission—is use your trademark in the ad copy itself.

That means they can show up next to your brand, but not pretend to be your brand.

Now here’s the good news: because Google puts a lot of weight on relevance and Quality Score, if a competitor is bidding on your brand name but can’t actually mention it in the ad, their ad is likely to get lower engagement and cost them more per click.

Translation: It’s almost never going to be as effective of an investment for them as it is for you if you are aiming to stay on top of your branded searches.

Using your trademark in their ad copy

This is where things clearly cross the line. If a competitor includes your brand name in their headline or description—something like “We’re Better Than YourBrandName” or “Official YourBrandName Reseller” (when they’re clearly not)—that’s a big no-no. This is where you can take enforcement action through Google.

Imitating your brand in display URLs or landing pages

Another shady move is when advertisers try to make it look like they’re affiliated with you by mimicking your URL structure or using confusing landing pages. Think: yourbrand.shop-now.com or landing pages filled with your imagery, name, and tone—but actually selling something else.

These tactics aren’t just frustrating—they’re damaging. They lead to:

• Brand confusion (“Wait, is this the real site?”)

• Diluted trust (“This looks sketchy. I’m not sure I want to buy anymore.”)

• Lost revenue (users bounce, competitors benefit)

• Increased ad costs (more competition for your brand keywords = higher CPCs)

That’s why knowing your rights—and how to enforce them—is so important. But the good news is, if your competitors are crossing the line, Google gives you a way to fight back.

So What Does Google Allow (and Not Allow) When It Comes to Trademarks?

Here’s where things get nuanced. Google doesn’t ban all use of trademarks in ads, but it does restrict certain uses—especially when the trademark owner files a formal complaint.

What Google Allows:

• Competitors can bid on your brand name as a keyword (yes, even if it’s trademarked—sorry).

• Resellers or authorized affiliates can use your brand in ad text if they meet certain criteria (more on that below).

What Google Doesn’t Allow (Without Justification):

• Unauthorized use of your trademark in ad copy

• Ads that imply affiliation or partnership when there is none

• Ads using your brand to mislead or confuse users

Google’s policy is largely hands-off unless you, the trademark owner, report misuse. Which brings us to…

How to Enforce Your Trademark on Google Ads: Step-by-Step

Step 1: Identify the Misuse

The first step in protecting your trademark on Google Ads is knowing when (and how) it’s being misused. Unfortunately, Google isn’t going to send you an alert when a competitor starts playing dirty with your brand terms—so you’ll need to be proactive with some “trademark listening” tactics.

Here’s how to stay on top of it:

🔍 Regular Branded Search Checks

At least once a week, do a Google search for your brand name and related variations (misspellings, abbreviations, etc.) and see what shows up in the sponsored ad space. Ask yourself:

• Who’s bidding on your name?

• Are they using your brand in the ad copy?

• Do their ads link to legitimate reseller pages or shady imitators?

• Are they trying to mimic your brand in their domain or display URL?

Take screenshots and note the date/time—this documentation will come in handy if you need to file a formal complaint.

🛠️ Use a PPC Monitoring Tool

Tools like BrandVerity, Adthena, or SEMrush’s Brand Monitoring feature can automatically track branded keyword bidding and ad copy usage across search engines. These tools flag violations, store evidence, and often provide alerts when something sketchy pops up—saving you from manually checking every day.

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Bonus: many of these tools can show you how often your competitors are bidding on your brand and what ad copy they’re using—great intel for both defense and offense.

📩 Set Up Google Alerts

Google Alerts isn’t just for PR mentions. Set up alerts for your brand name + terms like “coupon,” “discount,” “reseller,” or any variations of your trademark. While it won’t catch every ad placement, it can help surface new websites or pages that are trying to leverage your brand to drive traffic or sales.

📱 Check Display & Social Ads

If your brand is big enough, competitors may also run display ads or social ads that misuse your trademark. Tools like MOAT, Meta Ad Library, and TikTok Creative Center allow you to search ad creatives and spot brand impersonation or confusing messaging across channels.

🤝 Talk to Your Customers

Sometimes the first people to spot brand misuse are your own customers. Keep an eye on inbound messages like:

• “Is this offer legit?”

• “I saw your ad say you’re offering 50% off—can I still get that?”

• “I clicked on your site but it looked… off?”

• If they’re seeing ads you didn’t create, it’s a red flag.

Step 2: Confirm You Hold the Trademark

This may sound obvious, but to enforce anything on Google, you need to own the trademark.

You’ll need:

• Your official trademark registration (usually from the USPTO or local IP office)

• The exact trademark you’re protecting (Google’s very literal—if your trademark is “YourBrand” and someone uses “YourBrand Co.”, they may not see it as the same)

Step 3: Submit a Complaint via Google’s Trademark Complaint Form

Here’s the link: Google Ads Trademark Complaint Form

Note: you must file a complaint against a specific advertiser, Google no longer supports blanket trademark enforcement.

Start by selecting Google Search as the product.

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Follow the prompts and select "legal reasons to report content"

You’ll be asked to provide:

• Your trademark registration info

• The exact text being misused

• The advertiser URL or AdWords account (if known)

• Examples/screenshots of the ad(s)

• Whether you want this to apply globally or in specific regions

• You can also specify which advertisers are authorized to use your trademark (like affiliates or retailers)—so they don’t get caught in the crossfire.

Step 4: Monitor & Follow Up

Once submitted, Google will review your claim. If they agree it’s unauthorized use, they’ll restrict the advertiser from using your trademark in ad copy going forward.

Important caveat: They won’t stop the advertiser from bidding on your brand name unless they’re using it deceptively. So their ad may still appear—it just won’t include your name in the text.

Also: decisions can take a few business days, and not all complaints are approved. If that happens, follow up with additional documentation or consider legal counsel for escalation.

Step 5: Be Proactive Moving Forward

Brand protection isn’t a one-and-done task. Here’s how to keep your trademark safe long term:

• Set up Google Alerts for your brand name to catch new misuses early

• Use PPC monitoring tools (like BrandVerity or SEMrush) to track who’s bidding on your branded keywords

• Educate your affiliates/resellers on acceptable use of your trademark

• Review Google Ads regularly for suspicious activity

The earlier you catch infringement, the easier it is to enforce.

Bonus Tip: Own Your Brand Terms in Google Ads

One of the smartest ways to protect your brand? Run your own ads on your brand keywords.

Yes, you should be the top result when someone Googles you—but you can’t always trust organic listings alone. A competitor with a big budget can swoop in and steal clicks if you’re not running branded search campaigns.

Here’s why bidding on your own brand makes sense:

• You dominate the SERP and push competitors down

• You control the messaging and user journey

• You usually get very low CPCs (since your Quality Score is high for your own name)

TL;DR: it’s worth the small investment to defend your turf.

Final Thoughts: Protecting Your Brand Is Just the Beginning

Your brand is one of your most valuable business assets—and on the wild, wild web, it’s also one of the most vulnerable. Google Ads trademark enforcement is a powerful tool for defending your reputation, but it’s not just about stopping the bad actors. It’s also about creating a strong, strategic foundation that keeps your brand visible, trusted, and top of mind.

Taking control of your trademark use is just one piece of the puzzle. If you want to truly grow your business through Google Ads and digital marketing, you need a plan that goes beyond defense—and focuses on smart, scalable offense.

That’s where we come in.

👉 At Driftlead, we help brands like yours build holistic ad strategies that protect your brand and grow your bottom line. Want to see what that could look like?

Get your free custom marketing plan—no pressure, no fluff, just actionable insights tailored to your goals.

Because your brand deserves more than protection—it deserves to lead.