Important Client Advisory: Scam Invoices

Unfortunately, the number of scam requests for payment being sent direct to clients from unauthorised companies appears to be on the increase.

These take the form of an invoice or contract for undertaking plausible-sounding services such as ‘registration of the international patent’ or ‘publication of the trade mark’. The requests for payment include information about genuine patents and trade marks taken from the official public registers and therefore may appear quite convincing. Typically they are sent following publication of a PCT (International) or other patent application or a trade mark application. However the services they are soliciting payment for are generally unnecessary.

Please do not contact these companies or pay them any money. If you are unsure about the authenticity of an invoice or other correspondence regarding IP please contact your Stratagem attorney who will be happy to advise.

The companies sending these invoices change frequently, some of the names known to be associated with them are:

WPTR - World Patent and Trademark Register

IPTA – International Patent and Trademark Agency

IPTR – Intellectual Patent and Trademark Register

IPRS – Intellectual property register services

WPT service – World Patent and Trademark Service

IRO – The Patent Office

ITMORG – International Trademark Monitoring Organization

IP Direct – International Patent & Trademark Directory

IRO – Intellectual Property Office

IRPT – International Register of Patents & Trademarks

PATR Servis – Worldwide Patent Service