Does google ads make you bid for your brands to advertise?

Google works differently according to the country. According to ADIF in European Union using a trademark as keywords in published ads is investigated by google. India has a problem here where google refuses to do that.

The ADIF said.“Credible Indian brands are being put in harm’s way as a result of competitors – both global and domestic – taking advantage of Google’s lax policies. All the while, Google is profiteering from the resulting situation,” 

It added, “What is also worth noting is that the company diluted its policy standards for India in 2015 and discontinued investigating trademark infringements through keywords. Google stands to profit from the situation it has created due to its diluted policy standards in India.”

Similarly, in a case, Justice V Kameswar Rao of the Delhi High Court said 

Google was asked to investigate the matter where advertisers use trademarked words for keywords or combine them with a generic word in the title or texts of an advertisement. It is an infringement to do so.

In googles defense, they had argued that it is advertisers who choose the keywords, acting as an intermediary google cannot be held liable for infringement.

The Executive Director of ADIF Mr.Sijo Kuruvilla George, said: “Companies and individuals spend a considerable amount of time, effort, and resources on building a brand – an intangible asset for any business. It is unethical of Google to encash upon the goodwill and reputation of brands by allowing their competitors to use their registered trademarks as keywords in Google Ads.”

He also added, “The tech giant is profiteering from this practice, all the while hurting credible Indian brands, misleading their consumers, and at times even endangering them by exposing them to scam links. There needs to be accountability.”