Is this a Scam? – Invoices to Maintain your Registration

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Is this Invoice from the Patent & Trademark Organization a Scam? If you are asking this, the answer is probably yes. Over the years there has been an ever increasing number of private companies that have taken it upon themselves to offer either non-existent services or services that have no benefit to businesses registering their trademarks. The trademark scam typically starts with a very official looking letter arriving in the mail with a very official name on it like the "Patent & Trademark Agency," Patent & Trademark Organization," or "TPP – Trademark & Patent Publications." The letter mentions a real trademark application and then states that some fee is due to put it on their registry, or to block someone else from registering it on their register. Even if their register or publication exists, it provides no legal protection - it is just a vanity publication. Sometimes these fees are higher than what the person paid for their original application. These documents...
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Trademark Application Timeline

Trademark Application Timeline

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How long does the trademark application process take? Answer: While there is no absolute answer - for most applications the  trademark application process takes between 8-12 months and can be broken into several stages - each with its own variables. Step One - Trademark Clearance: The first step is the one before you file the trademark application.  Prior to filings any trademark application, you should take time to review prior registrations that might block your application from being accepted.  This can be done by you or by a trademark lawyer. When working with an attorney, this involves discussing the mark and your business, and it typically takes between 1-7 days depending on the type of trademark screening you decide to have done and the attorney's workload. Step Two - Preparation of Application: Assuming your trademark is cleared, an application is prepared based on the information you provide, and if working with a trademark attorney, the analysis of the lawyer.  You can count on 2-3 days for this...
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Trademark Enforcement Options – FAQ

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What are My Trademark Enforcement Options? Answer: Deciding on the right trademark enforcement options may seem pretty easy, but other options exist. While trademark owners are not required to sue all trademark infringers, not taking some type of action can weaken the trademark as a "source identifier" and weaken the value of the mark. Trademark Owners who fail to enforce their trademark entirely risk abandoning their rights to the mark. Deciding on your company's trademark enforcement procedure and policy can be very important. Settlement The most obvious alternative to litigation is settlement.  Settlement can be used as a trademark enforcement tool as well and is always an option. Owners of trademark and infringers may be able to agree to some form of concurrent trademark use where one party uses the trademark in one geographic area, and the other uses it somewhere else. Another option for settling a trademark dispute is for one party to license the rights to the other. Settlement agreements allow senior trademark user to...
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Trademark Registration Scam – FAQ

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I filed a trademark application recently and suddenly I have been receiving papers from all these companies saying that I owe more money to finalize my trademark. Is this some kind of trademark registration scam? Answer: In December (2016) the Department of Justice announced that two men had pled guilty of a scamming owners of US trademark applicants. Through there company called the Trademark Compliance Center (TCC) and Trademark Compliance Office (TCO), the men, Artashes Darbinyan and Orbel Hakobyan, stole approximately $1.66 million from registrants and applicants of U.S. trademarks through a trademark registration scam by sending fraudulent solicitation for additional filing fees. The USPTO worked with California law enforcement in this case and takes a number of steps to fight solicitations from companies fraudulently promising to protect trademarks. These questionable solicitations have been growing problem, both nationally and globally over the years. To help combat this, the USPTO has taken a number of steps. 1) Each Office Action regarding an application includes...
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