Avoid Using Trademarks in Meta Tags or Get Permission

Meta tags are snippets describing the content of a webpage. Even though they don’t appear directly on the page and exist only in the webpage’s code; they are instrumental in telling search engines about the contents of a web page and thus helping them rank on search engines for relevant searches. This article explains why it’s a good idea to take permission before using someone else’s trademark in your Meta tags and how to use them responsibly.

The Internet has created a vibrant expansion in recent years and transformed the world into a global village, which is getting shrunk by the days.

There are tonnes of search engines to find you the remedy to every hitch in your smooth sail. The internet is where a business finds its strength today. Moreover, that is when Meta tags come into play.

Purpose of a Meta tag

A precondition for every online business is the formulation of its Meta tags. Meta tags can be labelled as words or HTML codes, which facilitate the promotion of any website among the internet surfers.

They are the marks that perform as keywords and help the search engines to identify the site with such words.

Their ultimate purpose is to enhance the site’s rank in the search results. Therefore, Meta tags are considered to be an obligatory part of any website’s online publicity. A shoe brand, for instance, can use the tags like “shoes, sports”.

Trademark Infringement in Meta Tags

One of the major concerns pertaining to Meta tags is the use of another company’s trademarks as a deception for their own advertising.

The same shoe brand can add tags like “Nike, Reebok, Adidas”, and so on and mislead the internet searchers. This is done by website owners, not in order to describe their products but to draw the customers away from other rival sites.

The practice of using other company’s trademarks as a Meta tag is counted as a trademark encroachment and can lead to lawsuits and trouble.

Legal use of trademarks

To keep away from getting into a prolonged legal battle; one of the most preferred ways is to use the trademarks reasonably. There are certain uses of trademarks, which are deemed as acceptable for Meta tags.

If a company, for instance, sells t-shirts for a Save Tiger Campaign, then the use of the tag tiger is permissible even if it is trademarked by the company Britannia Tiger.

If the website uses the tags without any claims of endorsement from the trademark holder, then it is considered to be a legal use.

Permission and Research

Receiving a prior permission for the use of any trademark as a Meta tag is another safeguard that can be taken.

If there exists even a pinch of doubt about the tags used; then they should be excluded from the website right away. It is advisable to do a complete research before adding any word as a tag.

Avoiding Deceptive Trademarks

• For the sake of avoiding lawsuits, the best way is to avoid using deceptive trademarks.
• If uncovered, it can spoil the entire reputation, and the company can end up spending much money in legal proceedings.
• The use of misleading tags is regarded as a bad business decision because it not only violates the ethics of commerce but also derails the company from all of the earned trust.

Today, the world has advanced into the age of technology and digitization. With businesses taking hold over the internet to popularize their products, it is necessary to keep away from getting into a lawsuit and ultimately, tampering the business repute. Therefore, it is recommended to evade using trademarks as Meta tags.