Counterfeit products

This policy only applies to free listings. For Shopping ads policies, visit our main page here.

Our policy

Google prohibits the sale or listing of counterfeit products. Counterfeit goods contain a trademark or logo that is identical to or substantially indistinguishable from the trademark or logo of another. They mimic the brand features of the product in an attempt to pass themselves off as a genuine product of the brand owner.   This policy applies to the content of your free listings and your website.

If you're concerned about free listings or retailers facilitating the sale of counterfeit goods on Google, file a complaint.

Examples of what's not allowed

Counterfeit products

Products described as knock off, replica, imitation, clone, faux, fake, mirror image, or similar terms when referring to a brand name in an attempt to pass themselves off as genuine products of the brand owner

Non-genuine products that mimic brand features in an attempt to pass themselves off as the genuine product

• Examples: non-authentic products that have brand name labels or logos

What you can do

Here's what you can do if your product is disapproved or if your Merchant Center account is impacted:

Product disapproval

Products that don't comply with our policies may be disapproved. When a product is disapproved, it won't be eligible to serve. If the product doesn't comply with our policies, it should be removed from your product data feed.

In some instances, you’ll see the option to request a review of a product that has been disapproved for policy violations. If you believe that your product was incorrectly disapproved and you would like to request a manual review, click Request Review in the 'Item Status' of your product page. Learn more about product disapprovals for free listings policy violations and requesting a review

Account disapproval

For most violations, we'll send you a warning email detailing the policy violation and give you 7 or 28 calendar days to fix your issue.

1. Read our policies to learn what we don't allow.
2. Update your website. If your listing leads to content that violates a policy, update your website to meet the requirements and be in compliance with our policies.
3. Remove the violating products from your product data. You’ll receive an email with details about the violation. If you have products in your product data that violate the policy (or policies) you'll need to remove the offers from your feed.
4. Update your product data in Merchant Center. If you created a schedule for automatic uploads, update your product data manually or wait for your product data to be automatically updated before requesting a review. Product data that you’ve uploaded as a test won’t go live and isn’t considered during account reviews.
5. Request a review of your account.
   • If your account is still within the warning period, it will automatically be reviewed again at the end of the warning period. If the violating products are removed, you won't need to request an account review or take any additional action.
   • If your account is suspended and you've taken action to resolve the issue, request an account review.

Request a review

Most accounts are reviewed within 3 business days, but it can take longer if a more complex review is needed. If we find that you've removed the violating products from your product data, we’ll remove the warning. In the case of account suspension, we'll approve your account so your products can start displaying again.

 

To ensure a safe and positive experience for customers, Google requires that retailers comply with all applicable laws and regulations in addition to our policies. It's important that you familiarize yourself with and keep up to date on these requirements for the place where your business operates, as well as any other places your listings are shown. When we find content that violates these requirements, we may block it from appearing. In cases of repeated or egregious violations, we may ban you from listing content with us.