Google Ads Restricted Your Ads for Trademark? We Lift the Restriction.
Trademark restrictions happen when a brand owner complains to Google about your use of their name in ad copy. Most cases are restrictions, not suspensions. Google gives a 7-day warning before any account-level action. The window is real, the appeal pathway works, and many advertisers qualify for carveouts they did not know existed.
Send us the restriction notice. Within 48 hours you get a written verdict: which carveout applies (authorized reseller, descriptive use, informational content), what evidence the appeal needs, and what the realistic outcome is. If the trademark use is genuinely infringing, we tell you on day one.
Free verdict within 48 hours. Most cases qualify for a Google policy carveout. We tell you which one applies before any work starts.
Confirm Which Policy Hit Your Account
Trademark and Counterfeit Goods get confused often, especially when the disapproval message mentions a brand name. The two policies have very different enforcement and very different fixes.
| Policy | What it covers | Enforcement |
|---|---|---|
| Trademark | Using a brand name, logo, or term in ad copy without authorization | At least 7-day warning before account suspension. Most cases are ad restrictions. |
| Counterfeit Goods | Selling non-authentic products that mimic a brand | Immediate suspension. No prior warning. Classified as egregious. |
Both policies can apply to the same account. An unauthorized seller of fake goods usually hits both. An authorized reseller of genuine products often hits only Trademark.
The policy name appears in your Google Ads notification email and in Policy Manager. Read it before starting any fix.
What Is the Google Ads Trademark Policy?
The Google Ads Trademark policy restricts the use of brand names and logos in ad copy when a trademark owner files a complaint. The policy applies to ad text, not keywords or second-level display URLs. Google issues at least a 7-day warning before account suspension. Authorized resellers, informational sites, and descriptive users qualify for explicit carveouts.
Source: Google Ads Trademarks policy (support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/6118)
You Have Time to Fix This
Brand owner complaint accepted. Ads restricted immediately. Account stays open.
Without corrected ads + carveout-cited appeal, Google escalates toward account suspension.
Carveout documented, ads or landing pages updated, Google approves the resubmission.
Trademark enforcement runs slower than the egregious policies. When a brand owner files a complaint and Google restricts the ad, the account stays open for at least 7 days before any suspension risk. That window is the gap between losing a few ads and losing the whole account.
Three things must happen inside the window:
- 1 The trademark use in ad copy gets reviewed and corrected (or documented as a carveout).
- 2 The appeal gets filed through the correct pathway, with evidence of which carveout applies.
- 3 Any new ads created during the appeal must comply with the policy. New violations during the appeal lock in the restriction regardless of what evidence you submit afterward.
That third point is the one most DIY appellants miss. Google's policy explicitly states that creating new violating ads during an appeal keeps the restriction in place permanently, regardless of changes made later.
The Rules Google Actually Enforces
Google's trademark policy is narrower than most advertisers assume. The policy applies to specific uses in specific places. Reading the actual rules often shows your case sits inside a carveout already.
Restricted
Google will take action-
Use of a competitor's trademark in your ad text
A direct competitor cannot use your brand name in their ad copy.
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Use of the trademark in a confusing, deceptive, or misleading way
Ad copy that implies affiliation or endorsement when none exists, or that confuses users about who the advertiser is.
Not Restricted
Google leaves these alone-
Trademarks as keywords
You can target a competitor's brand name as a keyword in your campaign. The ad copy itself must not use the trademark, but the keyword targeting is allowed.
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Trademarks in the second-level domain of the display URL
A display URL like competitorname.example.com is allowed under the policy.
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Reseller landing pages selling the actual product
If your landing page is primarily dedicated to selling the trademarked product (or replacement parts, components, or compatible products), the ad can use the trademark. The page must show commercial information (prices, ordering) and make clear whether you are a reseller or an informational site.
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Informational landing pages about the product
Pages whose primary purpose is to provide information about the trademarked product, or to index search results about it, qualify for the carveout.
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Descriptive use in ordinary meaning
Using a word that happens to be trademarked in its ordinary descriptive sense (not as a brand identifier) is allowed.
All five carveouts come directly from Google's published policy text.
The Case Profiles That Have a Real Path Forward
Most trademark appeals that succeed match one of the profiles below. If your case matches, the carveout structure means your appeal has documented Google policy on your side, not just an argument.
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1
Authorized Reseller of the Trademarked Brand
You sell genuine products from the brand under a reseller agreement or open distribution. Your landing page sells the actual product with prices and ordering. The fix involves documenting the reseller relationship, updating the landing page to show clear commercial intent and reseller disclosure, and citing the reseller carveout in the appeal.
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2
Seller of Compatible Parts or Replacements
You sell components, replacement parts, or compatible accessories for the trademarked product (third-party printer cartridges, aftermarket auto parts, phone accessories, generic replacement filters). The landing page clearly sells the compatible product. The fix involves citing the compatible-products carveout, updating product descriptions to clarify aftermarket nature, and removing language that implies brand origin.
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3
Informational or Review Site
Your site provides information, reviews, comparisons, or news about the trademarked product. The landing page is primarily informational and either non-commercial or supported by general advertising. The fix involves citing the informational-content carveout and documenting the primary purpose of the landing page.
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4
Descriptive Use of an Ordinary Word
The word in your ad copy happens to be trademarked but you are using it in its ordinary descriptive sense, not as a brand reference. This applies when generic dictionary words have been trademarked by a company. The fix involves citing the descriptive-use carveout and documenting context.
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5
False Complaint by a Competitor
A competitor (not the actual trademark owner) filed a complaint to suppress your ads. The fix involves documenting either that the complainant lacks trademark rights in the relevant jurisdiction, or that your use falls within a carveout. Google reviews each complaint against the criteria Google publishes.
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6
Restriction Crossed Over From Another Account
Google applies trademark restrictions on an ongoing basis to any ad using the same second-level domain in the final URL. A restriction triggered on one account or campaign can carry over to other ads on the same domain. The fix involves either lifting the underlying restriction or restructuring the affected domain mappings.
Why Most Trademark Appeals Get Rejected
Three patterns appear in nearly every rejected DIY appeal we review:
-
1
The appeal argues general fair use without citing the specific Google carveout that applies.
Google's reviewer is not weighing trademark law in the abstract. The reviewer is matching your case against Google's published carveout criteria. An appeal that says "this is fair use" carries less weight than an appeal that says "this falls under the reseller carveout, and here is the landing page evidence."
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2
The advertiser creates new violating ads during the appeal.
Google's policy explicitly states that new violations during the appeal lock in the restriction regardless of any later changes. Pause all affected ads or rewrite them before submitting the appeal.
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3
The landing page does not match the carveout being claimed.
An advertiser cites the reseller carveout but the landing page is a generic blog post about the brand with no commercial functionality. Reviewers check the landing page against the appeal's claim. The page and the appeal must agree.
How We Resolve Trademark Cases
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1
Verdict (within 48 hours)
We review the restriction notice, the trademark complaint detail (if available), the flagged ads, and the landing pages. We identify which carveout your case fits, what evidence the appeal requires, and whether the appeal has a realistic path. You receive a written verdict.
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2
Carveout Mapping
We map each restricted ad to a specific Google carveout (reseller, compatible products, informational content, descriptive use, or false complaint). Each ad gets its own carveout assignment because Google reviews ads individually, not in bulk.
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3
Documentation Assembly
For reseller cases, we assemble authorization documentation: reseller agreements, distribution contracts, supplier invoices showing genuine product purchase. For informational cases, we document the landing page's primary purpose with traffic data, page structure analysis, and content samples. For descriptive use cases, we document context and dictionary or industry evidence of the ordinary meaning.
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4
Ad Copy and Landing Page Updates
We update ad copy and landing pages to match the carveout being claimed. Reseller pages get clear commercial functionality and reseller disclosure. Informational pages get explicit statements of primary purpose. Compatible product pages get clear aftermarket framing.
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5
Appeal Submission
We submit the appeal through the correct pathway in Policy Manager, citing the specific Google policy section that applies. Each affected ad is addressed individually with its carveout assignment. You approve every appeal before submission.
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6
Reviewer Follow-Up
If Google requests additional documentation or clarification, we handle the response. Trademark cases sometimes involve multiple rounds when the complaint comes from a brand with active enforcement programs.
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7
Ongoing Protection
Once the restriction is lifted, we deliver a written compliance checklist: how to write ad copy that stays inside the carveouts, how to maintain landing page compliance, how to handle future trademark complaints from new brands, and how to avoid the cross-domain restriction problem.
What You Get When You Work With Us
Pricing
Trademark cases price by complexity. The verdict is always free.
Verdict Only
- Carveout assessment
- Documentation gap analysis
- Realistic path forward
- Quote for full work if applicable
Single-Brand Restriction
One trademark complaint, one or a few affected ads
- Carveout mapping
- Documentation assembly
- Ad and landing page updates
- Appeal submission and follow-up
Multi-Brand or Cross-Account Case
Multiple brand complaints, multi-domain operators, cross-account restrictions
- Everything in Tier 2
- Cross-domain restriction audit
- Multi-brand carveout strategy
- Extended reviewer follow-up
Cases We Decline
Trademark restrictions arise in three categories of business. We can usually help the first two and we decline the third. The free verdict tells you which category your case falls into.
- Authorized resellers, distributors, and dealers of genuine branded products
- Sellers of compatible parts, replacements, and accessories with clear aftermarket framing
- Informational sites, review sites, and comparison sites covering branded products
- Operators using ordinary descriptive words that happen to be trademarked
- Operators facing complaints from competitors who lack the trademark rights claimed
- Operators using competitor brand names in ad copy to deceive users about source or affiliation
- Operators selling counterfeit goods (this is a different policy with a different page and a different decline list)
- Sellers who misrepresent themselves as authorized when no authorization exists
- Operators who plan to resume the same deceptive ad copy after the restriction is lifted
- Cases where the trademark complaint is accurate and the use is genuinely infringing
Why we decline these
The carveouts Google publishes exist for legitimate business uses. Filing weak appeals on cases that sit outside the carveouts wastes time, exposes the advertiser to escalation toward account suspension, and damages our credibility on the legitimate cases we work.
Trademark Policy — Common Questions
What is the Google Ads Trademark Policy?
Can I use a competitor's brand name as a keyword?
Can I use a trademark in my display URL?
Will Google suspend my account for a trademark violation?
How does Google decide whether to restrict my ad?
What counts as an "authorized reseller" for trademark purposes?
My competitor filed a trademark complaint against me. What can I do?
What happens to my other ads if one ad gets restricted?
Can I appeal a trademark restriction myself?
What about international trademark differences?
Will creating new ads during the appeal help my case?
How is this different from the Copyright policy?
Related Policies You May Also Be Facing
Counterfeit Goods Policy
The closest neighbor. Sellers of fake goods almost always hit both Trademark and Counterfeit. The Counterfeit case is harder and changes the strategy on the Trademark case.
Learn MoreCopyright Policy
Trademark and Copyright cover different things, but advertisers running content-based businesses often face both at once. The appeal pathways are separate.
Learn MoreMisrepresentation
Trademark restrictions can escalate to Misrepresentation when the ad copy implies an affiliation that does not exist. Cases involving false authorized reseller claims commonly trigger both policies.
Learn MoreFind Out Which Carveout Applies to Your Case
Free 48-hour verdict. We tell you which Google carveout your case fits, what documentation the appeal requires, and whether the path forward is realistic. No retainer on cases that cannot win.