From 5 May, any advertiser or agency will be able to bid on trademarked single words in the UK and Ireland. Previously, companies could ask Google to protect their single word trademarks from rival bids. It is unclear how many companies in the UK and Ireland asked Google to do this.
The change is associated only to single-word searches and will impact only sponsored links, not natural search. Multiple-word searches have always been subject to open bidding.
In a memo to agencies, Google sought to reassure trademark owners by claiming they are likely to retain an advantage over competitors, as they can embed their trademark terms in their ads, leading to a higher position in Google's sponsored links.
Matt Brittin, director for Google UK, said the change had been driven by the opportunity to provide better results to users, and that Google teams are currently explaining the changes to agencies and advertisers.
With more companies eligible to bid on trademarked terms, Google has opened up a potential new revenue stream, but Brittin said he was "not in a position to comment" on how the changes will impact on Google's UK and Ireland revenues.
The shift means that advertisers not currently bidding on their own brand names could be open to rivals taking advantage of consumers who search for single word trademarked terms. Google has implemented this policy in the US and Canada since 2004. The changes will affect only the UK and Ireland and not the rest of Europe.
The change is associated only to single-word searches and will impact only sponsored links, not natural search. Multiple-word searches have always been subject to open bidding.
In a memo to agencies, Google sought to reassure trademark owners by claiming they are likely to retain an advantage over competitors, as they can embed their trademark terms in their ads, leading to a higher position in Google's sponsored links.
Matt Brittin, director for Google UK, said the change had been driven by the opportunity to provide better results to users, and that Google teams are currently explaining the changes to agencies and advertisers.
With more companies eligible to bid on trademarked terms, Google has opened up a potential new revenue stream, but Brittin said he was "not in a position to comment" on how the changes will impact on Google's UK and Ireland revenues.
The shift means that advertisers not currently bidding on their own brand names could be open to rivals taking advantage of consumers who search for single word trademarked terms. Google has implemented this policy in the US and Canada since 2004. The changes will affect only the UK and Ireland and not the rest of Europe.
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