{"id":139,"date":"2016-12-23T11:48:14","date_gmt":"2016-12-23T16:48:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ipmanagement.harnessip.com\/?p=139"},"modified":"2016-12-23T11:48:14","modified_gmt":"2016-12-23T16:48:14","slug":"scams-the-biggest-threat-to-patent-and-trademark-owners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ipmanagement.harnessip.com\/?p=139","title":{"rendered":"Scams, The Biggest Threat to Patent and Trademark Owners"},"content":{"rendered":"

After threading the tortuous\u00a0path through the Patent and Trademark Office, and withstanding assaults of infringers, who would have thought that one of the biggest problems for patent and trademark owners is scammers. \u00a0These scammers send official looking documents with data downloaded\u00a0from the Patent and Trademark Office requesting payment for various unnecessary services, such as inclusion in a directory, or sometime for no service at all.<\/p>\n

The USPTO has\u00a0created a webpage<\/a>, but it is largely forgotten by the time the solicitation is received. \u00a0The Director’s Blog<\/a> recently reported that the Department of Justice obtained guilty pleas from two California men in a mass-mailing scam that targeted owners of U.S. trademark applications, stealing approximately $1.66 million from registrants and applicants of U.S. trademarks through companies called Trademark Compliance Center (TCC) and Trademark Compliance Office (TCO).<\/p>\n

While these efforts are encouraging, it is still up to ip\u00a0owners to protect themselves. \u00a0Critically evaluate any invoice you receive; as a general rule if its not from your IP\u00a0counsel it is a solicitation that should be ignored. \u00a0In particular be on the look out for correspondence from:<\/p>\n