Intellectual Property Guidelines

As an advertiser, you are responsible for ensuring that your use of keywords and ad content, including trademarks, does not infringe or violate the intellectual property rights of others.

 

Trademark Policy

You are responsible for obtaining permission to use any trademarks in your ads. Microsoft will not serve as mediator between trademark owners and advertisers who are interested in using trademarks in their ad campaigns.

You may not bid on as a keyword, or use in the content of your 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.

Use of a competitor’s trademark in ads only may be allowed if its use is truthful and lawful, for example, if:

• Your ad compares your own product’s attributes to those of your competitor’s product, as represented by independent, third-party research. However, you must also do the following:
  • Present the trademark in the context of the research that is cited in the ad.
  • Feature the related research clearly and prominently on the landing page that your ad links to.

 

Trademark owners

As a trademark owner, you are responsible for contacting an advertiser directly if you believe that your trademark is being used improperly.

If you are concerned that your trademark is being used improperly, please do the following:

• Contact the advertiser directly.
• Contact us by completing the Online Trademark Concern form on the Trademark Concerns page.

 

Copyright Policy

Advertising is not allowed that promotes the infringement of copyrighted material or seeks in any way to market products or services that enable the bypassing of copyright protection.

 

Publicity and use of proper names

Advertising that violates any person’s rights of privacy or publicity is not allowed. Keywords, ads, and landing pages may be disapproved in the following circumstances:

• Inappropriate use of an individual’s name, likeness, voice, or "personality” for commercial purposes.
• Keyword use, ad copy or website content that exploits any public figure or organization for commercial gain.