Is this trademark bill I received a scam?

We frequently are asked by clients if a trademark bill they received in the mail or through fax is a real bill.  Typically these direct bills are scams, but if you receive a notice you should double check with your trademark attorney to be certain it was not an error on behalf of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office or a miss-sent communication from a foreign trademark office.

When we file your trademark application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, we designate our office to receive all further official correspondence.  While we list our office for correspondence, the Trademark Office publishes your trademark application, along with your address, which third parties can obtain through the Trademark Office’s website.  There are a wide range of different third parties with different offered “services” from including your trademark in their publication to being a direct scam in which the third party seeks payment from you for some alleged service it provided.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office maintains a list of non-USPTO solicitations here.  If you are contacted by any of the listed companies, do not pay the bill they send you.

In sum, you should view any third party trademark bill as being a scam unless proven otherwise.  Do not pay any “bill” you directly receive without first discussing the bill with your trademark attorney.