Google: New trademark guidelines for Europe
Google plans to introduce a new trademark policy for Europe. Under this policy, companies will be allowed to use protected terms as keywords when placing online ads on Google in Europe.
Under Google's previous guidelines in Europe, trademark owners could file a complaint to prevent third-party ads from being displayed when their own trademark was entered. With the new trademark policy, the internet service provider is adapting its approach in Europe to that in most other countries around the world.
This is Google's response to a decision by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in March regarding the Adwords service. The ECJ confirmed that it is permissible for advertisers to bid on keywords that correspond to the trademarks of other companies. Keywords trigger the placement of an ad as soon as a user enters the term into the Google search mask.
However, the ECJ also insisted that the internet user must be able to clearly identify the manufacturer or provider of the advertised goods or services. Google explained that it would therefore remove ads that falsely give the impression of belonging to the trademark owner or selling protected trademarked products or services. So if a brand owner believes that another company is confusing users with an ad, they can complain to Google.
This is Google's response to a decision by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in March regarding the Adwords service. The ECJ confirmed that it is permissible for advertisers to bid on keywords that correspond to the trademarks of other companies. Keywords trigger the placement of an ad as soon as a user enters the term into the Google search mask.
However, the ECJ also insisted that the internet user must be able to clearly identify the manufacturer or provider of the advertised goods or services. Google explained that it would therefore remove ads that falsely give the impression of belonging to the trademark owner or selling protected trademarked products or services. So if a brand owner believes that another company is confusing users with an ad, they can complain to Google.
