Question about Google Adwords keywords and copyright?
I’m using Google Adwords to promote a product that I’m selling on my website. It’s my own product that I created. I’m using a keyword on Google Adsense that is a brand name of a competitor of mine who is selling a similar product. Is this copyright infringement?
That’s a bit of a gray area that may not have been clarified by the courts, generally using a trademark in the ad text displayed to the users is a no-no, but targeting competitor trademarks in keywords is OK Google will disapprove blatent copyright violations.
Many manufacturers prohibit affiliates marketing the product from using it’s name in text copy or keyword lists, mainly to reserve these terms for their own advertisements. Some of these companies also prohibit affiliates using competitors keywords in ads, not sure if this is an industry courtesy or addressing legal concerns.