Trademarks Policy & Bidding on Competitor Keywords

Google's Trademarks policy only investigates trademark use in an ad's text when the trademark owner files a complaint — it does not investigate or restrict bidding on a trademarked term as a keyword. So a competitor bidding on your business name as a keyword isn't itself a policy violation, and neither is you bidding on theirs.

This is a common point of confusion: business owners sometimes assume a competitor using their brand name as a keyword is against the rules, when in fact it's the ad text — not the keyword — that Google's policy actually governs, and only after a formal complaint. Any broader legal concern about trademark use is a separate matter from Google's ad policy and isn't something Google adjudicates proactively.

A competitor is bidding on my business name — is that against the rules?

Bidding on a brand name as a keyword isn't restricted by Google's policy on its own. Ask datanephew to check whether their ad text actually uses your trademark — that's the part Google will act on, and only if you file a complaint.