Google has altered its policy on the use of trademarks on AdWords, extending permission for advertisers to use rivals' trademarks in their ads to every nation on earth. The text ads giant has posted a trademark policy update in which it offers the following explanation for the change: Google's goal is to provide our users …

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Thursday 21st March 2013 09:29 GMT Crisp

How does this affect people with adblock installed?

Am I going to notice a difference?

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1. Thursday 21st March 2013 10:27 GMT S4qFBxkFFg
  
  Re: How does this affect people with adblock installed?
  
  That will depend on whether you have disabled display of "non-intrusive" adverts and whether these particular adverts are regarded as "non-intrusive".
  
  After some experimental googling, it appears they are blocked, so probably no difference.
  
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2. Thursday 21st March 2013 10:34 GMT Superavi
  
  Re: How does this affect people with adblock installed?
  
  This refers to the 'paid ads' that appear in google search results in the top and the right - since these are plain text, they should not be affected by your adblock.
  
  What I'm keen to know is can one use trademarks? (I know one 'shouldnt' but can one?)
  
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  1. Thursday 21st March 2013 19:13 GMT Anonymous Coward
    
    Re: How does this affect people with adblock installed?
    
    What plain-text ads?
    
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Thursday 21st March 2013 10:18 GMT Martin Brennan

Kiss of death for Adwords

I am a trademark owner and I pay Google for Adwords. Do I understand this correctly - anybody can now use my trademark in a Google ad regardless of what their site is peddling. Is that right?

Trademarks, hallmarks, standards, weights and measures all simplify and expedite commerce in the civilized world. Its hard to understand this decision by Google - I am sure they don't like policing trademarks but they are biting the hand that feeds them and turning Adwords into junk.

I mentioned the Louis Vuitton example to my wife and without missing a beat she said "Kiss of Death" - I looked at her and she added "for Google".

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1. Thursday 21st March 2013 10:35 GMT S4qFBxkFFg
  
  Re: Kiss of death for Adwords
  
  If I'm reading it right, it's more for retailers - so if someone sells your products, they should be allowed to mention your trademarks.
  
  It might also be for competitors - e.g. an advert saying "Try Pepsi - it's better than Coke!" You could argue that it's not a provable statement, but it could be taken as an opinion, which is probably still allowed.
  
  Seriously fucking dodgy would be if this allows someone to (falsely) claim or imply their product is actually someone else's - if this starts happening with Google's knowledge, then they have a big problem.
  
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Thursday 21st March 2013 11:19 GMT Shades

Flash b*stards!

"With that precedent in its pocket, plus the Loius Vuitton case"

I guess a normal sized wallet wouldn't suffice for carrying round their wads of cash?

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Thursday 21st March 2013 11:58 GMT Eguro

I thought the central point was, that whilst it might be illegal to advertise using the trademarks of others, it is not illegal for the vehicle for such ads (in this case Google).

But yeah, I'm also totally for this being the death of Google - which sadly it wont be :)

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Thursday 21st March 2013 12:44 GMT M Gale

Status bar?

window.status="trololololololol"

Doesn't work in the default configurations of IE, Firefox, Chrome or Safari.

Will get Opera users every time though.

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Thursday 21st March 2013 17:56 GMT Gannon (J.) Dick

Disapointment

"... hovering your mouse over an ad to see just where that link promising an ice-cold CokeTM will take now you seems more sensible that ever before."

Here I expected an expose of narco-kingpin Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and was shunted off to New Zealand to read about dead people. Seriously, El Reg, think of your readers once in a while.

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