Kinds of Trademark Scams

Scammers Posing as Attorneys

When you are applying for a trademark, you may encounter businesses that are offering unnecessary services, making unrealistic guarantees, demanding illegitimate fees, or charging inflated amounts for trademark registration services such as responding to office actions. Often times, these entities turn out to be scams, operating without legal licenses and offering services they’re not authorized to provide. Additionally, even supposedly licensed private companies may advertise unnecessary services, make unrealistic guarantees, demand illegitimate fees, or charge inflated amounts for their services. We strongly advise against working with such companies on your trademark registration.

If you are already working with a licensed attorney, it’s important to be aware that scammers can send you messages posing as your attorney. If you encounter a suspicious message, take extra caution to verify the source of correspondences such as email addresses. Scammers can create email addresses confusingly similar to your attorney’s. If you have any doubts, reach out to your attorney directly via phone to confirm the correspondence and inform them of any suspicious messages you have received.

Scammers Posing as the USPTO

Scammers commonly impersonate the USPTO, utilizing trademark application and registration details sourced from USPTO databases to contact trademark applicants or registrants through various channels such as mail, email, or text. These scammers can contact trademark applicants and registrants making fraudulent claims about the progress or state of an application or registration, often demanding illegitimate fees.

Because scammers can source authentic details from the USPTO, their communications may sound convincing and, at times, even include accurate information. This may include reminders about upcoming filings to maintain your trademark registration. This can make it challenging to discern scams from legitimate communications. These scammers also make their communications seem more legitimate by impersonating the USPTO’s channels of communication, such as spoofed phone numbers (phone numbers that use fake caller ID information) and confusingly similar email addresses.

Scammers Posing as WIPO

Scammers also impersonate the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). These scammers have been found to contact applicants and registrants under the Madrid system, which facilitates international trademark applications. They often send written notifications that closely resemble legitimate WIPO notifications about renewing registrations while demanding unauthorized payments.

If you believe you may have been scammed, seek professional advice from a licensed attorney.