I don’t know how they still get away with it.
Recently, like many business owners, I applied to protect my business name as a trade mark in the UK. There’s no real magic to it: a straightforward online application form and a £170 fee later, I’m on the path to registered trade mark glory.
But what’s this in my post? Two urgent demands for payments of over £900? One from the “World Organisation for Trademarks”, and another from the Trademark Protection department of “WIPOT”. They look and sound remarkably professional and official, and state lots of penalties for non-payment.
The problem is that they are 100% spam.
When you file a trade mark application, the applicant’s contact details are a matter of public record, even if you used a lawyer or some other representative to file the application for you. That makes you a target for people trying to persuade you to part with your hard-earned money. Upon reading the (very small) small print you realise that the fee is for inclusion on some irrelevant database, does not have anything to do with your application, and gives you no enforceable rights.
The only genuine requests for money will come through your representative. If you applied directly yourself, such requests will only come from the UK IPO or EU IPO directly.
I hate that these things still happen. It’s the price we pay for an open trade mark register (which is absolutely fundamental), but it’s a practice that preys on lack of knowledge and fear of losing legal rights.
If in doubt, check. Don’t just authorise for payment because it looks official and threatening.