Google is updated its Google Ads trademark policies to do away with the ability to have industry-wide blocks for trademarked terms. Instead, you will need to do this on the specific advertiser level.

Google said this will reduce over-flagging issues with ads when an advertiser might legitimately want to use a trademark term but Google Ads blocks them when maybe they shouldn’t. Google said this should simplify and speed up resolution times, as opposed to industry-wide blocks that were prone to over flagging.

The new trademark restrictions implemented prior to July 24, 2023 will be gradually phased out for most advertisers over the next 12-18 months.

Google said advertisers still must comply with the Google Ads Misrepresentation policy and that 2022 alone, Google blocked or removed 142 million advertisements for violating our misrepresentation policy. So Google will continue these efforts and even improve them.

Google told me they “believe this update best protects our partners with legitimate complaints while still giving consumers the ability to discover information about new products or services.”

Google does have a help document to help trademark owners. If a trademark owner submits a complaint to Google about the use of their trademark in Google Ads ads, Google will review it and restrict advertisers from using that trademark in their ads if they’re deemed to violate our policy. The form to submit a complaint is over here.

Trademark restrictions from Google’s old trademark enforcement process implemented prior to July 17 will continue to apply until they are lifted for most advertisers gradually throughout the next 12 months.

Here is the email Google is sending advertisers, via @PPCKirk:

Here is that text:

Ginny Marvin from Google added a bit more:

Do you think this is a good change?

Forum discussion at Twitter.