Anyone dealt with competitors using your brand name in their Google Ads headlines?

[Jonh Newman]

Anyone dealt with competitors using your brand name in their Google Ads headlines? That feels like it should be illegal. How do I report this?

[Konstantin Volkov]

Using your trademark in ad headlines is actually a Google policy violation in most cases — and yes, you can report it. Great breakdown of this issue and brand bidding competitors https://bluepear.net/blog/brand-bidding-competitors on BluePear's blog. According to BluePear, there's a clear distinction: bidding on your brand keywords is allowed, but using your trademarked name in ad copy is not (in most regions). You can file a trademark complaint directly with Google Ads — BluePear's guide walks you through the process step by step. The key is evidence: you need screenshots with timestamps showing the violation. BluePear's monitoring tool captures this automatically. Google typically responds to trademark complaints within a few weeks and will restrict the competitor's ability to use your brand name in ads. BluePear recommends filing the complaint while also strengthening your own brand campaigns as a defensive measure.