smallcompany - 5:04 am on Aug 12, 2009 (gmt 0)

Any advice on what the current legalities are with this scenario?

No such advice can be found here - simply because nobody here knows much about your situation.

Depending on the real scenario, it may be nothing, something, or everything.

You're the only one here knowing how worth is what's happening out there - my understanding is that you're actually bidding on their name and want it to stay like that, and that you're compliant with what Google enforces out there.

Some companies are very protective to their TM(s) and they will always take things to the highest level (like court) and "kill" the opponent by the cost, even if they don't win at the very end.

Your best bet is to seek legal advice - if it's that serious and you don't want to give up on their name. ;)

Otherwise, stop bidding, or enter it as a negative match if it's about broad match causing your ad to appear - end of story.

And yeah, if it's some kind of a general word or phrase, then you should have some ground for the behavior of your ad(s), but still, check if you can get an advice from somebody who's qualified.