The Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) has issued
alerts to beware of unsolicited payment requests sent to owners of
patent and trademark registrations. A “phishing” scam
involves the distribution of unauthorized emails, text messages or
phone calls by criminals and rogue actors to trick their victims to
solicit funds and sensitive information.
These phishing scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated,
and patent and trademark owners are now a primary target.
Fraudsters posing as intellectual property (IP) professionals are
exploiting public records to send official-looking notices,
deceiving businesses into paying inflated fees or taking
unnecessary actions. With the rise of such threats, it is crucial
for trademark owners to understand how to spot these scams and
safeguard their intellectual property.
