Keep an eye out for competitors using your name through Google

Domus Tiles have recently found themselves in a situation where a competitor was unscrupulously using their name on the internet through Google. Their experience maybe of interest for any buyer sourcing product on the internet or indeed anyone advertising on the internet to know what you can and can't legally get away with through Google.

Basically, their competitor set-up a range of Google AdWords using the Domus name, plus a few other competitors including Johnsons Tiles. The objective being to capture traffic from anyone typing Domus into Google, who would then see the Google AdWord which was written '[competitor name] Domus Tiles' in the hope that the surfer would click on the Google link.

Domus immediately explored the legalities of this and discovered the following:-

1. It's not illegal to use a competitor name in a Google AdWord, so the ad itself was okay, but

2. There must then be relevant content on the website about the competitor e.g, a joint promotion or some information about the competitor within the website in order to justify using their name in the ad.

After seeking legal advice David Kong, Marketing Director, at Domus called their competitor last week where the Marketing Manager claimed to have no knowledge of the Google Campaign but would look into it. The campaign was withdrawn hours later.

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Date added: Apr 29, 2010

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