After filing an application to register a trademark, you may receive an official-looking document, either by snail mail or e-mail, that calls for the payment of fees. If this document does not come from the United States Trademark Office or your attorney, beware: it is likely a solicitation from an unscrupulous business looking for a quick profit.
Private companies routinely use the information from the Trademark Office online database to contact trademark applicants. Some solicitations may offer a legitimate service – for example, an offer to renew a trademark registration. But some solicitations are nefarious. The United States Trademark Office has published a list of known offenders. Last year, the operators of The Trademark Compliance Center, were convicted of money laundering in a trademark renewal scam that defrauded 4,446 victims of $1.66 million.
All official correspondence about your trademark application or registration will come from your attorney or from the “United States Patent and Trademark Office” in Alexandria, Virginia from the domain @uspto.gov. If you receive correspondence about your trademarks from someone other than your trademark attorney, it may not be legitimate.
Feel free to reach out if you have questions about third party solicitations, or about any other trademark registration and brand management matters.
