Is that really the United States Patent and Trademark Office?

You already know how important trademarks and patents are to protecting your intellectual property. But do you know how to tell the difference between the real United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and scammers pretending to be the USPTO? Here’s how the scam is playing out for businesses.

Someone who seems like USPTO calls, emails, or texts you or someone in your company — urgently. They say your trademark application or registration will be approved — as soon as you pay. Or it’s about to expire — unless you pay immediately. They might even say someone else has applied for your trademark, so you need to pay quickly or risk losing it.

This might all seem real, with the USPTO seal or logo, a real staffer’s name, and maybe even a real USPTO phone number on caller ID. But every bit of it’s a scam. Here’s some advice to share with your staff so your business can avoid it:

• Don’t pay USPTO fees in response to demands in a call, email, or text. The real USPTO will never contact you to demand money. Not by credit or debit card, check, wire transfer, payment app, or gift card. Yes, there are fees to register and renew trademarks. But USPTO only requires payment at specific times and the agency has a very specific payment process — anything outside that is a scam.
• Slow down. Because scammers want your money and information ASAP, they make things seem urgent so you don’t take time to stop and think. So, slow down and check things out before you respond. Look up your trademark’s status on the USPTO’s Trademark Status & Document Retrieval (TSDR) tool.
• Go to the source. The USPTO’s Trademark Assistance Center has the answers you need about your trademark application or registration. (Also reach them at 1-800-786-9199.) And since scammers can fake caller ID and put up real-looking — but completely fake — websites, only use links and phone numbers you know are real. Never use any link or QR code that came in an email or text message, which could route you directly to the scammers.

Here are a few more things to share with your staff. If you spot something suspicious, tell someone: email TMScams@uspto.gov and report possible trademark scams or USPTO imposters to the Federal Trade Commission. Learn how to register and maintain a federal trademark in USPTO’s Trademark Basics Boot Camp, and check out more from USPTO’s resources on trademark scams.