Google Changes Policy on Trademarked Terms

Google posted this blog post today stating that they will no longer block AdWords users from using trademarked terms that they don’t own.

On the positive side, that means retailers who want to advertise “Sony Cameras” can do so. On the negative side, that also means your competitors can buy your trademarked terms to more effectively compete with you.

Now, Google says that they are doing this to “improve ad quality and user experience” which it will actually do. But it is more likely that the real motivation is increasing revenue. My guess is that lawsuits will follow.