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How to Deal with Publishers that are Trademark Bidding
You have found a Publisher bidding on your trademark name and sending customers directly to your Web site without indicating that they are a Publisher - also known as Direct Linking. You want to know the identity of the Publisher but the link looks like gibberish to you. Here is an example from Google:
http://www.google.com/url?sa=L&ai=Bd8nNlZn1RbfAOKT6gwOvj7CZCdrVihmy8rG8AsKJkvUL0IYDCAAQ
ARgBILZUOAFQzIq41P______AWDJ5sKN9KTQGZgB8oYBmAG-kgaYAcCSBpgB3pIGmAHAqQeqAR5vcmcubW96aWxsYTplbi1VUzpvZmZpY2lhbCtjZnPIAQE&ggladgrp=37750
0970&gglcreat=575495210&q=http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click%3Fid%3Df6yPuLRlhsg%26offerid%3D 18758.10000048%26type%3D3%26subid%3D*GOOG*&usg=__fxc71IuUn1od0W3sH21nS2BmXK8=
How Do You Identify the Publisher?
You can usually find the Publisher with this part of the code:
http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click%3Fid%3Df6yPuLRlhsg%26offerid%3D 18758.10000024%26type%3D3%26subid%3D0%
Normally the 11-digit identifier can be found after the first 3D.
http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click%3Fid%3Df6yPuLRlhsg%26offerid%3D 18758.10000024%26type%3D3%26subid%3D0%
You can then copy/paste the 11-digit encrypted code into the Affiliate Management tool in the Advertiser Interface to identify the Publisher. To do this:
1. Click Affiliate Management in the "Affiliate" section of the Advertiser Homepage.
2. Scroll down and click Advance Search.
3. Check the "Encrypted Code" radio box.
4. Paste the first 11 characters of the code into the first field.
5. Scroll down to the bottom and click Submit.
6. The page will refresh with the publisher's information.
Communicate to the Publisher Bidding on your Trademark
Once you have identified the Publisher bidding on you trademark, you can conduct a search through the interface to obtain their contact information. Your best approach would then be to communicate to the Publisher that they are in fact violating the terms and conditions of your program and need to cease their current activities. If the Publisher continues to bid on your trademark after several warnings (third time’s a charm!) it might be in your best interest to remove the Publisher from your program.
If you need help putting together an email to send to your Publishers regarding their trademark bidding violation, included below is a sample to use.
Sample Warning Email
“Dear Publisher:
It has come to our attention that [PUBLISHER SITE NAME] is in violation of [ADVERTISER NAME] terms and conditions regarding trademark bidding. Please note that the Terms & Conditions clearly state that you are not allowed to represent yourself as the merchant site or direct link to [ADVERTISER NAME] site. Please adjust your listings immediately and notify us of when these changes occur or else [ADVERTISER NAME] will be forced to withhold commissions and/or terminate this relationship.”
Hopefully, the Publisher will cease and desist immediately.
If you do not receive a response from the Publisher, please "HOLD" their commissions. After HOLDING commissions, Publishers usually reach out to Advertisers inquiring as to why they are not being paid accordingly.
* Please keep in consideration the value of the Publisher to your program and sales before removing them.
LinkShare's Search Monitoring Service
Trademark monitoring is an important part of your online performance marketing program. As a trademark owner, you need to actively monitor search engines for trademark infringements to protect your business. If a trademark goes unmonitored, traffic can easily be diverted from your Website and more importantly you could be losing significant revenue. Trademark monitoring can be a time consuming process if done manually and most businesses cannot maintain the continuous monitoring that’s required to be successful.
LinkShare understands the potential threat to your overall business and offers a powerful solution for trademark monitoring that that provides you with the tools and the transparency you need to protect your brand and you revenue. Please reach out to your Account Manager for more information on LinkShare’s Search Monitoring Service. |
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