How to File a Google Ads Trademark Complaint
Alfonso
Before filing anything, it helps to separate two things that get confused constantly. Google Ads generally allows advertisers to bid on trademarked terms as keywords, targeting is not restricted the same way in most regions. What Google's trademark policy actually restricts is the use of a trademark inside the ad text itself, headline, description, or display path, without the trademark owner's authorization, in the countries where that policy applies.
That distinction matters because it changes what a complaint can realistically fix. You can't stop someone from bidding on your brand as a keyword through this process. You can potentially stop them from putting your brand name inside the words of their ad.
What Google looks for before restricting an ad
Google's review generally focuses on whether the ad text creates a real risk of confusing the user about the source of the product or service, not simply on whether the trademark term appears somewhere in the account.
Certain uses are commonly treated as exceptions even when they include the trademarked term, resellers advertising genuine products, informational or comparison content, and generic use of a word that also happens to be a trademark.
The exact boundaries of these exceptions vary by country and get updated periodically: verify the current policy text for your specific market before treating a given ad as covered by an exception in a real case.
This article explains the mechanics of Google's trademark policy, it doesn't substitute legal advice on trademark rights in your jurisdiction; if the case has legal implications beyond the complaint process itself, consult your legal team.
Before you file: build the evidence first
A complaint is only as strong as what you can show alongside it.
At minimum, you want the exact ad text, the keyword it was triggered by, the country and device it appeared on, and a timestamp, ideally backed by something more durable than a screenshot: raw HTML and HTTP headers from the moment of detection hold up better if the case ever needs to go beyond Google's internal review.
A screenshot alone is easy to dispute, since anyone can question when it was taken or whether it was edited.
How to file the complaint
Confirm you hold the trademark rights you're about to reference, registration details will be requested during the process.
Collect the evidence described above for each ad you're reporting, don't rely on memory or a single screenshot taken after the fact.
Submit Google's trademark complaint form, specifying the countries where you want the restriction applied, not just your own market if you sell in more than one.
Wait for Google's review. Timelines vary and aren't guaranteed, this isn't an instant takedown.
Check the outcome per country. A complaint upheld for one market doesn't automatically apply everywhere you sell.
What a successful complaint does and doesn't fix
Here's the part that gets missed most often: even a fully upheld complaint only restricts the specific advertiser and ad text you reported, in the countries you specified. It doesn't stop a different advertiser from bidding on your brand keyword next month, and it doesn't stop the same advertiser from coming back with different ad copy that avoids the exact wording that got flagged. A trademark complaint is a response to one incident, not a standing defense.
That's the real argument for pairing it with continuous monitoring instead of treating a filed complaint as the end of the problem: someone bidding on your brand today isn't the last person who ever will.
How BidLemon fits into this
Every detection BidLemon captures is stored the same way from the moment it happens, raw HTML, HTTP headers, and a server timestamp, exactly the kind of evidence a trademark complaint needs, without you having to remember to grab a screenshot in the moment.
Need evidence that actually holds up, not just a screenshot?
Captured automatically the moment a competitor bids on your brand.