Trademark policy for Twitter Ads

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Updated November 13, 2013

This article provides a trademark policy framework for Twitter Ads. It explains how trademarks apply to advertising tools and features, outlines the complaints Twitter will review, and describes actions Twitter may take in response to violations. Twitter respects the trademark rights of others, and holds advertisers accountable for the content they choose to promote to users.

Note: All users, including advertisers, are subject to Twitter’s overall Trademark Policy. This article focuses on advertiser-specific tools and features. You can learn more about Twitter’s policies for advertisers here.

Trademark Policy for Promoted Products

Advertisers on Twitter should promote honest, authentic and relevant content. Advertisers may not mislead or confuse users by inaccurately or deceptively representing their brand or product. Accordingly, using trademarked materials in Twitter Ads copy in a manner that misleads or confuses users is a policy violation. Twitter’s Trust & Safety team enforces this policy by responding to legitimate authorized complaints from trademark holders. Any resulting decisions are within Twitter’s sole discretion, within the bounds of applicable law.

What does this policy prohibit?

• Including other brands within your Promoted Tweets in a misleading way: Promoting Tweets with text that misleads users about the advertiser’s brand affiliation may be considered a trademark policy violation.
• Including other brands in your off-Twitter content in a misleading way: Sharing links, images, or other embedded media that create user confusion regarding the advertiser's brand affiliation may be considered a trademark policy violation. This includes content within Promoted Tweets as well as account information such as background, profile photo, profile header, bio and website.
• Featuring brands within your Promoted Trends in a misleading way: Selecting Promoted Trend names that feature trademarked brands in a way that misleads users about the advertiser’s brand affiliation may be considered a trademark policy violation.

What is not a violation of this policy?

• Selecting search and interest-targeting keywords that may be branded terms: Twitter does not disable or investigate the selection of keywords or interests that may be others’ branded terms. Advertisers can select relevant keywords and interests as a way of reaching users who might be interested in the product or service the advertiser offers. We aim to provide the most relevant advertising experience for all of our users, and empower users to dismiss Tweets from advertisers they do not wish to see.

How do I report a violation of this policy?

You do not need a Twitter account to submit a trademark report. Holders of registered trademarks can report possible violations to Twitter's Policy Team through our support forms.

Please submit trademark-related requests from your company email address and follow the instructions on the form. Also, be sure to clearly describe to us why the promoted content may cause confusion with your trademark.

Important Points about Twitter’s investigation process

• Twitter will only be able to investigate trademark violation reports from trademark owners and/or their authorized representatives.  
• Trademarks are territorial and only cover specific goods or services. Therefore, different trademark holders may own a trademark for the same term in different countries or within different industries. In investigating a complaint, Twitter will request information from trademark holders regarding the location where the trademark is registered and what goods or services are covered. In addition, the action Twitter takes (if any) may be focused only on the relevant jurisdiction.
• When we receive a valid report, we may give the advertiser an opportunity to clear up any potential confusion. We may also remove a specific Tweet from promotion, or remove the account from our advertising platform.  
• Accounts that violate our Trademark policy for Twitter Ads may also be in violation of our overall Trademark Policy, which can result in account suspension in select instances. We will review complaints under the most directly applicable policy. Such decisions are within Twitter’s sole discretion, within the bounds of applicable law.  

We take matters of user safety and transparency very seriously. We examine reported Twitter policy violations and take action where appropriate, and we will notify you directly of any changes we make to your campaigns or advertising account.

Have questions or feedback about something on this page?

If you are an advertiser whose account or Tweets are under review and you would like to check on the status or request an expedited review, please log in to ads.twitter.com and file a support ticket using the Help? button in the top right corner of your ads dashboard.

Learn more about blocking or dismissing ads by reading this article on “Reporting Twitter Ads”. To report an ad that is potentially violating these policies, use the Report an Ad form.

Using Twitter Ads Policy, the Twitter Rules and our Terms of Service, we will examine reported violations and take appropriate action.

If you are interested in advertising on Twitter and want to learn more, please visit business.twitter.com.