Last week, the USPTO held a round table hearing on this issue of scams targeting trademark owners. While I was unable to attend, our firm made a statement in the public record at the hearing. In addition, Law360 covered the hearing and the issues involved. Their article, Trademark Law’s Scam Problem Not Getting Better, quotes me and others discussing the relevant issues.
“Many public records are available online, but these scams target consumers in a way that is more tricky and deceptive than most other gimmicks,” Erik M. Pelton, a Washington, D.C.-area trademark attorney who has written extensively on the issue, told Law360 ahead of Wednesday’s hearing.
“I am optimistic that they can be stopped,” Pelton said. “While I commend the USPTO for spreading information about them in recent years, that alone clearly isn’t enough. If these scams weren’t profitable, they wouldn’t be proliferating.”
Do you have any fresh ideas for stopping these scam operators? Let me know!
