Please do not send money to random Trademark Solicitation Scams.
When I file trademark applications on behalf of clients, I always send a reporting email. In that email, I mention that there are many many many scams out there where they will ask you for money so that the next step in the trademark process can be taken. In the trademark world, unfortunately, your application is published so scam companies can mail you formal looking letters.
I always tell my clients that if they receive one of these, they should send it to me if they aren’t sure. Recently, I received an email and it sounded like the client may have sent money to one of these scam companies. I really hope that they didn’t.
Some of my favorite trademark scams are where they tell you that you have to send money for the trademark application to be published. No. No you don’t. The Trademark Office will publish your Trademark Application as part of the filing fee that you paid initially.
Another fun one is when they send you an email that says someone else is trying to register the same mark that you have but they want to make sure that you are able to file the application first. Most of my clients that receive this solicitation already have a registered trademark, so I don’t even understand this scam!
Last but certainly not least is when they tell you that you must renew your trademark, but they calculate the deadline using the filing date instead of the registration date - clearly evincing that they don’t know what the heck they are talking about.
If you would like to protect your trademark, please please please work with a reputable trademark attorney that will answer all of your questions and let you know all of the steps in the process. I never and I mean NEVER send out invoices to clients without telling them in advance that I will be sending the invoice. And of course, I explain in detail what the invoice is for. As a small business myself, I understand that other small businesses have limited resources and I hate seeing small businesses being taken advantage of and spending money that doesn’t need to be spent!