Rejected for Title/Keyword Trademark: Brand Names in Your Metadata
A Title/Keyword Trademark rejection means the picture may be fine, but the words are not: a brand or product name sits in the title, description or keywords of a commercial file.
What the agency says
Shutterstock
Title/Keyword Trademark
Shutterstock says the titles and keywords of commercial content cannot include trademarks, and metadata that does is rejected for "Title/Keyword Trademark".
Adobe Stock
Intellectual property
Adobe notes that intellectual property problems can appear in the title, description or keywords, not only in the image.
What the reviewer saw
Reviewers read the words as well as the picture. A brand name in the metadata of a commercial photo suggests the photo is about that brand, which the agency cannot license without the brand owner's permission. It does not matter whether the logo is visible.
Generic words to use instead
| Instead of | Write |
|---|---|
| iPhone, Galaxy | smartphone, mobile phone, cell phone |
| iPad | digital tablet, tablet computer |
| MacBook | laptop, notebook computer |
| Lego | toy bricks, building blocks |
| Coke | cola, soft drink, soda |
| Instagram, Facebook | social media, social network |
| Jeep | off-road vehicle, SUV |
How to fix this file
- Remove every brand and product name from the title, description and keywords, and swap in a generic term.
- Check the picture again. If you were tempted to name the brand, the logo may be visible too.
- Run the list through the Keyword Checker, which flags likely trademarks.
How to stop it happening again
- Keep a personal list of the brand words that slip into your keywords, and search for them before every upload.
- Watch copied keyword sets. A list reused from an editorial shoot carries its brand names into commercial files.
Find brand names before the reviewer does
The free Keyword Checker flags possible trademarks in a title and keyword list, along with repeats and plural pairs. It runs in your browser, so you can check a whole shoot's list in a minute.
Sources and when this was checked
Last checked: November 2026. The agency wording on this page comes from the help pages below. Agencies reword their reasons from time to time, so open the source if your message reads differently.
Frequently asked questions
Why was a photo with no visible logo rejected for trademark?
Because the metadata named one. A plain laptop photo keyworded 'MacBook' is rejected for the word, even though no logo is visible.
Can I use brand names in editorial captions?
Editorial captions describe real events and may name the brands and places that appear. The rule above is for commercial content.
Which words get flagged most often?
Device and software names (iPhone, iPad, MacBook, Windows, Android), car makes, sportswear brands, soft drinks, social networks and toy brands. Some are ordinary words too, so context matters.
Do generic words cost me sales?
A buyer making an ad cannot show another company's brand, so they search for the generic thing. 'Smartphone' is the word that reaches them.
