Brand Protection

How to Protect your Trademark, Brand and Reputation

Last updated: 17 Jan 2007

Today's eCommerce market is rapidly growing, and as a result of this the market is becoming more
competitive. Online retailers will resort to paying Google Adwords or Yahoo Search Marketing for a place
in their sponsored listings to generate more traffic, and to increase Traffic further, advertisers will
use their competitors trademark names as keywords in their sponsored listing, hence attracting more
visitors by using the trademark name of a well known, well established brand.

This has created controversy for Google AdWords, but the Search Engine has clearly stated that as part of
the terms and conditions of their sponsored listings campaigns, that the responsilbity lies on the
advertisers to decide which keywords and ad text is used, and that any disputes should be resolved
directly between trademark owners and advertisers.

This is the stance that Google must take, for if they were to reverse their policy on advertisers buying
keywords containing trademark names, this would have an adverse impact on revenue and also create the
exhaustive task of policing and preventing unauthorised activity happening.

Google did not originally set out to sell trademarked keywords to advertisers. However, they do currently
sell trademark keywords in the U.S and Canada on the condition that the keywords will not be used in the ad text itself.

It is more likely that smaller companies will cash in by using by the larger companies' trademark keywords
for the purpose of advertising. To ensure this doesn't happen, hire an SEO expert to identify competitors
and to research their search engine advertising background. This information can then be used to protect
your trademark and brand to defend the future of your business. Smaller companies will normally try to
avoid legal action against them if they are issued with a cease and desist letter.

Hiring an seo expert will also help you to define which companies you would like to benefit from using the
trademark keywords of you company, such as affiliates or associates who you can trust with your brand and
reputation. Doing this means that you will eventually benefit from their success.

Knowing who is taking advantage of the success of your brand and using its trademark keywords will have an
affect on how you manage your brand and reputation. If you ensure that the seo expert you employ is aware
of this issue and manages it efficiently, your online success should be secured for time to come.