Dateline: Friday, March 29, 2019
A client of mine sent me a package yesterday containing over a dozen trademark solicitations and trademark registration/renewal scams.
Below are nine (9) of these misleading solicitations and scams.
U.S. Trademark Applicants and Registrants need to be aware of these solicitations and scams in order to avoid spending money on uncertain services and/or outright scams.
A. TRADEMARK SOLICITATIONS
note: these solicitations offer renewal services supposedly. The concern is obviously that you would actually pay money to these services and whether or not they would actually do the work you expected them to is uncertain. These solicitations are by and large misleading at best and are purposely designed to look official, in spite, perhaps, of the fine print to the contrary.
1. PTMI
2. U.S. TRADEMARK COMPLIANCE OFFICE
3. PATENT & TRADEMARK BUREAU
4. WTMR, LLC
B. TRADEMARK SCAMS
1. TM-Edition INTERNATIONAL CATALOGUE OF TRADEMARKS - 2018
note: This invoice is for USD $1,800. (Eighteen Hundred Dollars). Having your U.S. trademark registration listed in this catalogue is like having a star named after you in a book registered in the U.S. Copyright Office. And this company is based in Hungary.
2. GLOTRADE s.r.o. Global Trademarks Protection
note: For USD $2,890 you get nothing of value with respect to your U.S. trademark registration. Read the fine print. For example, it states, in part, "The publishing of the public registration of your trademarks is the basis of our offer. We offer our similarity service that protects your trademark from copyright infringement..." (emphasis added).
3. WPTR Registration of International Trademark Renewal
note: This offer for the price of USD $2,356 is offered to U.S. trademark applicants who have recently had their applications approved for publication and published by the USPTO. On the face page of this so-called offer nothing of certainty is even offered.
4. WTP Trademark Publication
note: This company offers you for the price of USD $1,380, this company offers you "the registration of your brand in our private database..." Yeah, so what?!... Send your money to Miami if you dare and have money to burn for nothing of value in return.
5. ITP Trademark Publication
note: Look carefully and you will see that this scam is from the same company as in 4 above re WTP Trademark Publication. This one is $40 cheaper at $1,340. You get the same worthless "registration of your brand in our private database..."
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FYI; From the U.S. PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE:
Here is a link to information offered by the USPTO on misleading notices:
"Caution: misleading notices
Don't be fooled by potentially misleading offers and notices from private companies
Some trademark applicants and registrants have paid fees to private companies, mistakenly thinking they were paying fees required by the USPTO. We do not endorse any of these private companies and you are not required to use them."
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If you have more than one trademark on file at the USPTO, then you too are likely receiving these misleading solicitations and/or scams in the mail many times over. I tell my clients to send them on to me for inspection at no charge or to throw them away. Be careful out there because there are companies and individuals trying to get you to part with your money for either uncertain services or they are outright scams.
Respectfully submitted,
William E. Maguire,
LAW OFFICES OF WILLIAM E. MAGUIRE,
Santa Monica, California, USA
*** This blog post is not intended as legal advice. ***
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