Fake Trademark & IP Invoices

Fake trademark and IP invoice scams send official-looking demands for trademark registration, renewal, or 'publication' fees from organisations that closely resemble — but are not — a genuine intellectual property office. These fraudulent invoices are sent to trademark applicants and patent holders, and are deliberately designed to be mistaken for legitimate correspondence from a national or international IP registry.

Trademark and patent applications are public records. From the moment a filing is made, the applicant's name and contact details become searchable on official IP databases. Scammers monitor these databases systematically, extracting applicant contact details and sending invoices within days or weeks of a filing — timed to feel like a natural part of the official registration process.

The invoices typically charge for services that are either entirely unnecessary (such as optional 'publication' in a private register), services that would normally be included within the official process at no extra cost, or services that do not exist at all. The amount is usually set at a level that feels plausible for an administrative fee — not so high as to trigger a large-payment review, but enough to generate significant revenue at scale across many targets.

Shortly after a trademark or patent application is lodged — often within a few weeks — the applicant receives correspondence from a body with a name that closely mimics an official IP office. Common naming patterns include 'World Trademark Register', 'International Patent Bureau', 'European Trademark Publication Office', or variations incorporating the words 'official', 'national', or 'registry'.

The correspondence is formatted to appear authoritative: it references the correct application number, the correct goods and services class, the correct applicant name, and quotes a deadline for payment to 'complete registration' or 'ensure publication'. Bank account details, usually in another country, are provided.

Because the timing and content feel like a natural step in the filing process, recipients — particularly those without specialist IP knowledge who are managing the process themselves — may pay without questioning whether the invoice is genuine. Some pay believing it is a required official fee; others pay fearing that non-payment will somehow jeopardise their application.

In reality, the payment accomplishes nothing. The 'publication' occurs only in an obscure private register of no commercial or legal value, or does not occur at all.

IP invoice scams are particularly effective because trademark and patent applicants are often unfamiliar with the exact cost structure of the registration process. When a fee arrives that references the correct application details, the assumption is that it must be official — the scammer clearly has access to the right information.

The fraud also exploits the high value applicants place on their IP. A business that has invested in creating a brand or invention does not want to risk losing its protection over a missed administrative fee. This anxiety overrides the instinct to verify before paying.

Finally, the invoice format and framing are crafted to discourage scrutiny. Deadlines are tight, language is authoritative, and the invoice looks substantially similar to genuine correspondence from IP offices — which the recipient may never have seen before, making comparison difficult.

A founder files a trademark application directly through their country's official IP office portal. Two weeks later, a letter arrives on official-looking headed paper from a body with a name similar to an international trademark authority. The letter references the correct application number, the correct trademark class, and advises that payment of a modest fee is required within 30 days to secure 'international publication'. The founder, unfamiliar with the normal fee structure, pays the fee. The payment goes to an overseas bank account and provides nothing of commercial or legal value.

Pay [amount] within 30 days to publish your trademark in the [official-sounding] International Register and ensure maximum protection.

NOTICE: Your trademark application [number] requires publication fee payment of [amount] to complete the registration process. Deadline: [date].

Your trademark [name] (Class [number]) has been accepted. To finalise registration and prevent loss of priority, please pay [amount] to the account below by [date].

As the official publication body for international trademarks, we require payment of [amount] to include [trademark name] in the next quarterly release of the World Trademark Index.

Your recent patent application requires an annual maintenance fee of [amount] payable to [body name] within 60 days to maintain active status.

RENEWAL NOTICE: Trademark [name] expires in 45 days. Renew now with [organisation] for [amount] to maintain continuous protection.

All legitimate fees associated with your trademark or patent will be communicated through your appointed IP attorney or directly through the official IP office where you filed — not through unsolicited third-party correspondence.

- Verify the sender: look up the exact name of the sending organisation on your country's official IP office website. Be aware that official-sounding names are not enough — check whether the body has any official standing. - Contact your IP attorney: if you used one, forward any unsolicited invoice to your attorney for review before taking any action. - Contact your IP office directly: use contact details from the official website (not from the invoice) to ask whether the correspondence is genuine. - Check your application record: log in to your official IP office's online portal and review the actual status and fee schedule for your application. No legitimate fee will only be notified through a third-party invoice. - Do not pay from the invoice: never pay into bank details provided by an unsolicited third party without independent verification from your IP office.