Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

I recently received copies of notices from the “Trademark Info Corporation” and the “United States Trademark Renewal Service” that may mislead trademark owners into believing that their registrations may be at risk unless certain payments are made.  TM owners have no duty to pay these people, yet some are duped into doing so because the forms look kind of like they come from the government.  Should you receive such a notice, consult Legal Zoom or some other organization that fills in blanks on legal forms.  On second thought, contacting an organization that fills in blanks on legal forms probably won’t help since there is no form to fill out.  Instead, contact your lawyer.

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James Lindon, Ph.D. Patent Attorney
Lindon & Lindon, LLC
Cleveland, Ohio
Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights, Pharmacy Law, Litigation
[this is not legal advice - provided for discussion only]
Intellectual Property for the Individual and Small Business: Identify, Protect, Enforce, Defend.
"Fools rush in where angels fear to tread."
http://www.LindonLaw.com

Ah ... the latest in phishing scams? 

yes - an old trick

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James Lindon, Ph.D. Patent Attorney
Lindon & Lindon, LLC
Cleveland, Ohio
Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights, Pharmacy Law, Litigation
[this is not legal advice - provided for discussion only]
Intellectual Property for the Individual and Small Business: Identify, Protect, Enforce, Defend.
"Fools rush in where angels fear to tread."
http://www.LindonLaw.com

My client received two such notices today from "United States Trademark Renewal Service" and forwarded them to me for review.  These notices are designed to look like legitimate notices from the government, but they`re not.  Also, one of the notices said that a certain trademark needed to be renewed, but I had already filed the renewal papers on April 19 for that trademark, and the renewal had already been granted by the Trademark Office.  So that might give you some idea how competent and/or honest the people behind United States Trademark Renewal Service are.

Note, however, that while these people are a private for-profit company having no connection to the government, they are correct that trademark registrations need to be renewed periodically or they will lapse.  And another arm of that same company, United States Patent Renewal Service, is correct that maintenance fees must be paid every 4 years (or so) in order to keep U.S. patents from lapsing.  However, most patent and trademark lawyers calendar the renewals/maintenance fee payments for the trademarks/patents that they have obtained for their clients, and will coordinate with you to keep those properties in force. 

The fact that some info is correct makes it even more likely that somebody will be duped.

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James Lindon, Ph.D. Patent Attorney
Lindon & Lindon, LLC
Cleveland, Ohio
Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights, Pharmacy Law, Litigation
[this is not legal advice - provided for discussion only]
Intellectual Property for the Individual and Small Business: Identify, Protect, Enforce, Defend.
"Fools rush in where angels fear to tread."
http://www.LindonLaw.com