---
title: Google loosens trademark policies
description: Google loosens trademark policies
---

# Google loosens trademark policies

[David Naffziger](https://www.brandverity.com/blog/author/david-naffziger) Aug 9, 2010

Last week Google announced two significant changes to its trademark policies:

The [largest change](https://adwords.google.com/support/aw/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=177578) will allow competitors to purchase trademarked terms in most of the European countries that were excluded in the [May 2009 change](https://blog.brandverity.com/228/google-modifies-global-adwords-trademark-policy/). It brings the trademark policies in most European countries into alignment with its policy in 190 countries.

The [second change](http://adwords.blogspot.com/2010/08/update-to-canadian-uk-and-ireland-ad.html) allows a larger set of advertisers in UK, CA and IE to use trademarks in their ad copy. These new advertisers include resellers information sites and complementary product sellers. This [mirrors a change](https://blog.brandverity.com/240/google-makes-major-shift-to-us-adwords-trademark-policy/) Google made last year to their US trademark policy.

The Eric Goldman has a [great writeup](http://blog.ericgoldman.org/archives/2010/08/google_liberali_1.htm) on the background and Google's likely rationale for the upcoming changes.

The changes go into effect on September 14.

 Topics: [paid search](https://www.brandverity.com/blog/topic/paid-search), [Trademark and Law](https://www.brandverity.com/blog/topic/trademark-and-law), [Search Engine Updates](https://www.brandverity.com/blog/topic/search-engine-updates)

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