Ad and keyword investigations
In addition to trademark infringement investigations, for the above markets, Microsoft will also investigate a complaint about trademark infringement in keyword use after it receives all required information via the Intellectual Property Concern Form. Advertisers may not bid on keywords, or use in the content of ads, any term whose use would infringe the trademark of any third party or otherwise be unlawful or in violation of the rights of any third party.
Use of a third-party trademark may be allowed if its use is truthful and lawful, for example, if:
- Your website provides information—product reviews, for example—about goods or services that are represented by the trademark, and your principal offering is not any product or service that competes with the goods or services represented by the trademark.
- You are clearly using the ordinary, dictionary use of a term, and your principal offering is not any product or service that competes with the goods or services represented by the trademark.
- You are a reseller whose website sells authentic goods or services that are distributed under the trademark.
All other markets should submit a complaint about the use of a trademark in ad copy via
the Intellectual Property Concern Form.