There is seemingly no end to the scams and ridiculous offers that prey on trademark owners. The most recent I received is from “Patent&Trademark Bureau.” The USPTO has warned about this and several other “new” scams. Until the USPTO and the FTC and the Postal Inpection investigate and crack down and punish and penalize the offenders, I imagine the same scam artists will show up every year with new names and addresses, preying on innocent trademark owners with bogus or over-priced services. Until trademark owners and attorneys protest en masse to these agencies that such a crackdown is necessary, it is unlikely that they will take the initiative and/or find the time and money to handle the problem.
I suggest that anyone affected by this issue write to the USPTO, the FTC, and the Post Office and urge them to move more quickly and more forcibly to bring an end to these scams.
- U.S. Postal Inspection Service: https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/contactUs/filecomplaint.aspx
- USPTO Office of the Solicitor: http://www.uspto.gov/about-us/organizational-offices/office-general-counsel/office-solicitor
- Federal Trade Commission complaints: https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/
See WARNING: Non-USPTO Solicitations That May Resemble Official USPTO Communications
image courtesy of www.uspto.gov
