The main conclusion seems to be that "anything with the iAd logo is safe." I find that ludicrous on its face; any malware ads or scams will simply mimic the iAd

The main conclusion seems to be that "anything with the iAd logo is safe." I find that ludicrous on its face; any malware ads or scams will simply mimic the iAd logo, much like a few less-reputable AdSense look-alikes already exist. The apps running ads from networks with such hostile ads might get pulled, but it'll simply be a game of whack-a-mole. I also don't know that advertisers will want overly iAd-branded ads, as that would risk diluting their own brand. But if it's not very overtly Apple-branded, the users won't feel any familiarity and the argument falls down again. As for Google worrying about it, right now they're probably more worried about the FTC blocking the AdMob purchase and thus blocking them from even entering the mobile advertising space to begin with.