Google Playing Politics in Serving Ads?
October 12, 2007 by Pablo Palatnik
I was actually going to write about something else tonight and as I’m about to start writing, fox news is in the background reporting that Google is playing favorites when it comes to the ads they display on trademark terms.
Funny enough, I was reading something on trademark terms with Google earlier on. Is Google playing favorites? Google just banned ads by Susan Collins for bashing MoveOn.org. Meanwhile, now lawyers are looking into this because other advertisers are bidding on trademarked terms and still displaying ads. They believe Google is playing favorites and looking closely at their trademark policies.
Transcripts of the phone conversation about this issue with the advertiser: (provided by the web main report)
Thank you for contacting Google AdWords. Please hold a moment while we route your chat to a specialist
who will help you with your question: “I have a question about an ad rejection “.
AnnaMarie has received your message and will be right with you.
Lance Dutson: acct ******
AnnaMarie: Hello Lance. Thanks for contacting Google AdWords. I’m happy to help you.
Lance Dutson: i received a message saying my ads violated trademark
Lance Dutson: and i want to know if you received a specific complaint about them
AnnaMarie: I won’t be able to give you that information Lance.
AnnaMarie: You can request permission to use a trademarked term from a trademark owner though.
Lance Dutson: Is there a protocol for appealing a suspended ad through google?
AnnaMarie: No there is not. We do not handle trademark disputes.
Lance Dutson: Because the suspension does not seem to meet reasonable trademark standards
Lance Dutson: So if anyone complains, you simlply pull the ad?
AnnaMarie: The term MoveOn is a trademarked term.
AnnaMarie: We proactively disapprove ads that have a trademarked term in them, unless the advertiser in
question has permission to use the term.
Lance Dutson: Let me show you something:
Lance Dutson:
http://tinyurl.com/ywxwyf
AnnaMarie: Again, we do not handle trademark disputes Lance.
Lance Dutson:
http://tinyurl.com/yoo89f
Lance Dutson: These are also trademarked terms
Lance Dutson: Microsoft without question
Lance Dutson: there are thousands of trademarked terms in Google AdWords
AnnaMarie: Again, advertisers that run on trademark terms do have permission to use them.
AnnaMarie: If you’d like to use the term you can contact the trademark owner Lance.
Lance Dutson: And then what would I do after I get permission?
Lance Dutson: Do I contact Google?
AnnaMarie: The owner would have to send notification to us, then our trademark team would have to approve that.
Lance Dutson: So you’re telling me Blackwater sent you permission to run negative ads against them?
AnnaMarie: If you’d like, I can speak with our trademarks team and let you know who you can contact to
get permission to run an ad with that ad text.
Lance Dutson: Yes that would be great.
AnnaMarie: Is there a good email address to reach you at Lance?
Lance Dutson: lance.dutson@gmail.com
AnnaMarie: OK, once I hear from our trademarks team, I will email you with the process for getting approval.
AnnaMarie: Is there anything else I can help you with today lance?
AnnaMarie: Lance*
Lance Dutson: Yes I would also like to find out how I get information on whether or not a complaint was filed.
Lance Dutson: According to DMCA, I have the right to know if a complaint was filed.
AnnaMarie: You cannot request that information Lance.
AnnaMarie: Again, I will check with our trademarks team and let you know what I find out.
Lance Dutson: Ok that would be great.
Lance Dutson: Thanks for your help today.
AnnaMarie: You’re welcome.
I always had an issue with the Trademark policy that a companies name, if trademark, is ok to be analyzed by Google. For example, MoveOn may be a trademark term, but the domain MoveOn.org is not. PLEASE keep in mind, I don’t know if the organization is a registered trademark under MoveOn or MoveOn.org but my point is a company name and a web domain shouldnt be considered both trademark terms if domain isn’t officially registered.
