Competitors can usually bid on your brand name as a keyword in Microsoft Advertising. Microsoft investigates trademark complaints about your trademark in the ad text, and about keyword use only in certain markets. To protect branded searches, run your own brand campaign, file a trademark complaint when your mark appears in their ads, and monitor auction insights.<\/p>\n
Search ad platforms, including Microsoft Advertising and Google Ads, separate two things: the keyword an advertiser bids on, and the words that appear in the ad. Microsoft changed its policy in 2011<\/a> to allow advertisers to bid on other companies’ trademarks as keywords in most markets, in line with Google. So a competitor bidding on “YourBrand” is generally allowed. Using “YourBrand” in their ad copy, if they aren’t authorized, is a different matter.<\/p>\n The fastest, most reliable way to resolve this is to reach out to a Microsoft Advertising Elite partner like Adcore.<\/strong> Elite is the highest of Microsoft’s three partner tiers (Partner, Select and Elite), and Elite partners can escalate cases directly through Microsoft’s partner team.<\/p>\n How Adcore can help:<\/strong><\/p>\n Reach out to Adcore’s Elite partner team for free Microsoft Ads support<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n In most markets, yes for keywords. Microsoft’s intellectual property policy<\/a> focuses on trademarks used in ad text. If a competitor’s ad text includes your trademark and they’re not an authorized reseller or otherwise permitted to use it, you can file a complaint. Keyword-only complaints are investigated in a limited set of markets, so check the policy for your country.<\/p>\n Microsoft won’t block competitors from bidding on generic terms or, in most markets, on your brand keyword alone. It also won’t share competitors’ bids, spend or keyword lists.<\/p>\n Trademark complaints need a complete submission and a review by a specialized team. Microsoft handles all advertisers through one central support desk and supports small and mid-sized businesses mainly through certified Partner Program partners, who can help build a clean case and escalate it.<\/p>\n Not fully in most markets. You can act when your trademark appears in their ad text.<\/p>\n Brand terms are usually cheap because your ads are highly relevant to the search.<\/p>\n Yes. Microsoft’s process is built around registered trademark rights.<\/p>\n They serve Microsoft ads, so Microsoft’s policies apply to those ads.<\/p>\nRecommended solution: get help from a Microsoft Ads Elite partner<\/h2>\n
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Is it allowed?<\/h2>\n
What you can do<\/h2>\n
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How to build a strong brand campaign<\/h2>\n
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What Microsoft won’t do<\/h2>\n
Why trademark cases are slow<\/h2>\n
FAQ<\/h2>\n
Can I stop competitors from bidding on my brand name in Bing?<\/h3>\n
Does a brand campaign cost a lot?<\/h3>\n
Do I need a registered trademark to complain?<\/h3>\n
Does the same apply on Yahoo and DuckDuckGo?<\/h3>\n
Protect your brand on Microsoft Ads<\/h2>\n