In my mail today, I received the official-looking letter, below. At first glance, it appears to be from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and it claims that my registration for the KaiderLaw® trademark is about to expire unless I pay $1,250. The letter is NOT from the USPTO.
Below, I’ve highlighted the address in the top left corner. This is not the address of the USPTO. In fact, it appears to be the address of a Regis office. In the middle of the letter, I’ve highlighted some other information that is incorrect. It claims the filing date was May 21, 2013. The filing date for my mark was actually 2 years later. It claims the registration date was May 3, 2014. Again, it was actually 2 years later. It also claims a “Date in location” of May 3, 2016. There is no such thing as a “date in location.” Then it claims the renewal date is May 3, 2019. It’s not, my renewal period is between May 3, 2021 and May 3, 2022.
Finally, in the small print at the bottom, it says, “Patent and Trademark Office is a private service company within the intellectual property area that reminds companies when their trademarks are due for the renewal. Patent and Trademark Office is non-governmental company and is not connected to any of the governmental organizations.”
If you receive anything that looks like this letter, please contact your trademark attorney right away and do not send any money. If you read the fine print, it suggests that by paying them the fee they are demanding, they will then renew your trademark on your behalf. They may not. Using my letter as an example, the renewal period for my mark does not begin until 2021 and the USPTO will not accept a renewal application before that date.
There are many "companies" out there that will send a letter like this; then when you pay them, they will not file anything and a few years later, the trademark becomes abandoned. By that time, the company has moved to a new location and the "customer" is not only be out the money, but their trademark registration is cancelled.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out.
Below, I’ve highlighted the address in the top left corner. This is not the address of the USPTO. In fact, it appears to be the address of a Regis office. In the middle of the letter, I’ve highlighted some other information that is incorrect. It claims the filing date was May 21, 2013. The filing date for my mark was actually 2 years later. It claims the registration date was May 3, 2014. Again, it was actually 2 years later. It also claims a “Date in location” of May 3, 2016. There is no such thing as a “date in location.” Then it claims the renewal date is May 3, 2019. It’s not, my renewal period is between May 3, 2021 and May 3, 2022.
Finally, in the small print at the bottom, it says, “Patent and Trademark Office is a private service company within the intellectual property area that reminds companies when their trademarks are due for the renewal. Patent and Trademark Office is non-governmental company and is not connected to any of the governmental organizations.”
If you receive anything that looks like this letter, please contact your trademark attorney right away and do not send any money. If you read the fine print, it suggests that by paying them the fee they are demanding, they will then renew your trademark on your behalf. They may not. Using my letter as an example, the renewal period for my mark does not begin until 2021 and the USPTO will not accept a renewal application before that date.
There are many "companies" out there that will send a letter like this; then when you pay them, they will not file anything and a few years later, the trademark becomes abandoned. By that time, the company has moved to a new location and the "customer" is not only be out the money, but their trademark registration is cancelled.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out.
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