Security Update: ‘Inventive’ Scams that Rob Resources

Creating a new product or service is exciting. And one of the primary reasons for this is that you’re eager to produce sales and get it on the market. So getting trademark protection certainly makes, but watch out for mailings & information that looks official but is really just a scam to get your money.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and Federal Trade Commission are alerting consumers that there are companies pretending to be these government agencies or their partners—and they’re tricking people into paying them fees.

Such enterprises send patent & trademark holders solicitations that offer to do things like renew registrations, provide monitoring services, record marks with government agencies, or list them on a private registry. In almost all cases, what’s offered is overpriced, unnecessary, or outright fraud.

The names and emblems these imposters use on their forms help them seem like they’re connected with the U.S. government. Some have paid them hundreds or even thousands, mistakenly thinking they were responsible for legitimate registration & maintenance costs.

Read any notice about your patent or trademark carefully. Official mail comes from the United States Patent & Trademark Office in Alexandria, Virginia. If you get an authentic email, the domain will be @uspto.gov. And if you’ve experienced this or other scams, file a report here.