Trademark Scams You Should Know About

Imagine this: You have recently worked closely with your trademark attorney to select and clear a new trademark that is key to your business and branding. Your attorney has filed your trademark application on your behalf, and now you wait. Then, the first "news" you get about the status of your trademark application comes via mail, email, text, or even telephone call, asking for additional payment or personal information. While it looks and sounds "official," a sixth sense tells you that it is not. In fact, you are correct – and if you had been a little less careful, you could have been the victim of one of many trademark phishing scams that seem to be multiplying weekly.

To obtain a trademark registration, you must first file an application with the US Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO), which then creates an official record that is publicly available at uspto.gov. Scammers are able to use this information to craft compelling phishing calls, texts, and emails in an