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Protect Yourself from Trade Mark and Patent Scams in 2025: Key Tips and Warnings

Protect Yourself from Scams in 2025: Key Tips and Warnings

Protect Yourself from Trade Mark and Patent Scams in 2025: Key Tips and Warnings

Applying to register your intellectual property is a very exciting stage, but it’s also when scammers can try to take advantage of you if you are not careful. They target applicants with misleading invoices, fake emails, and other schemes designed to steal money or personal information.

Some of the most common intellectual property scams are:

  1. Misleading Invoices: Scammers send official-looking invoices requesting payment for services like registration, publication, or monitoring, which are either unnecessary or non-existent. These invoices often mimic the appearance of legitimate correspondence from official bodies.
  2. Phishing Emails: Fraudulent emails impersonate official organizations, such as WIPO (the World Intellectual Property Organization), to extract personal or financial information. These emails may contain links to fake websites designed to capture sensitive data.
  3. Spoofed Emails and Calls: Scammers email and make phone calls pretending to be from official intellectual property offices, pressuring applicants into making immediate payments or disclosing confidential information.

Attorney Email Scam in Australia

In 2024, Australia experienced its first known instance of a sophisticated email scam targeting trade mark rights holders by impersonating legitimate trade marks attorneys. Unfortunately, this has occurred again this week, affecting another attorney firm.  The scammers sent emails with false claims of imminent loss of trade mark rights and/or priority, urging recipients to take immediate action to “protect” their IP rights. These emails often used urgency tactics, misleading information, and threats of losing rights to coerce recipients into acting quickly. This scam highlights the importance of verifying correspondence and consulting your attorney before responding to such emails. You can see examples of the correspondence below.

Example 1

Example 2

 

Other Examples of Known Scammers

WIPO has compiled a list of entities known for sending misleading invoices and fraudulent solicitations. The full list can be accessed on WIPO’s Website (see, WIPO scam warnings and updates). Some examples of recent scammers and their invoices are set out below:

EPTP – European Patent & Trademark Protection

 

Origin: Brno, Czech Republic

Date Identified: April  2024

Details: This entity sends invoices resembling official correspondence, requesting payment for services unrelated to actual patent and trade mark registrations.

IPWU – Intellectual Property World Union

 

Origin: Delaware, USA

Date Identified: January 2024

Details: Issues misleading invoices designed to appear as official requests for payment for intellectual property services that do not exist and have not been provided.

EIPS – European Intellectual Property Services

 

Origin: Brno, Czech Republic
Date Identified: January 2022

Details: Sends fraudulent correspondence requesting fees for services unrelated to official trade mark or patent registration processes.

WPTD Office – World Patent & Trademark Database

 

Origin: Praha, Czech Republic

Date Identified: May 2021

Details: Solicits fees for inclusion in a private, unofficial database that has no connection to WIPO or the official PCT process.

 

How to identify fake IP invoices and Avoid Patent and Trade Mark Scams

  1. Verify the Source:
    • Email Addresses: Official WIPO emails come from the “wipo.int” domain. Be cautious of slight misspellings, such as “wlpo.int.”
    • Physical Addresses and Logos: Scammers often use fake letterheads and addresses. Cross-reference with official contact information.
  2. Scrutinize the Content:
    • Urgency and Threats: Official communications typically do not pressure you with urgent payment demands or threats.
    • Unsolicited Requests: Be wary of unexpected invoices or requests for payment, especially if you haven’t engaged with the sender.
  3. Check for Official Publications:
    • WIPO and other legitimate organizations do not charge fees for inclusion in their official databases beyond the standard application and maintenance fees.
  4. Consult Official Resources:
    • Refer to WIPO’s warnings and lists of known scammers to cross-check any suspicious correspondence.
  5.   Seek Professional Advice:
    • If in doubt, consult with a registered patent or trade mark attorney or contact IP Australia in Australia or IPONZ in New Zealand directly to verify the legitimacy of any communication.

What to Do If Targeted by a Scam

Staying informed and vigilant is crucial in protecting yourself from scams. By recognizing common tactics used by scammers and verifying the legitimacy of any correspondence, you can safeguard your intellectual property rights and avoid falling victim to fraudulent schemes.

For further information or assistance, contact mail@halfords.com.au.

 

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