Even national IP Offices have to defend their names. It is for this purpose that the US Office has registered the terms USPTO, UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE as well as two figurative marks as a mark, in order to fight more easily against the creation of bogus filing agencies, many of whom appear to be based in Pakistan.
The proliferation of companies posing as Offices is a problem that most IP Offices have and which you have probably encountered. These agencies send misleading letters to trademark applicants requesting the payment of fees for publication of their marks whereas this service is usually provided free of charge by the national Offices. Many companies and individual applicants have already been caught in the trap.
It is up to each Office to enforce its position and its rights and it is with this in mind that these recent filings have been made.
As a reminder, if you have filed your trademark application through an authorized agent such as our firm, all communication with the Office will go through it.
You should therefore not receive any official document or request for payment directly. If the care arises, you can of course contact us in order to have confirmation of the fraudulent nature.
