You may have received mail recently from "Patent & Trademark Agency LLC" out of New York, NY, informing you that your trademark registration is due to expire if instructions and payment are not received to renew your trademark. Please beware – this is a scam!

These communications contain false information; namely, that a registration will expire if a filing is not made within five years following registration. In actuality, an affidavit of continued use under Section 8 of the Trademark Act must be filed within six years following registration. Also, the name of the organization is misleading and is designed to resemble that of the United States Patent & Trademark Office in hopes that recipients will not read carefully. Notices from similar organizations, including Worldwide Database of Trademarks and Patents, have also been reported.

All official correspondence pertaining to your trademark applications or registrations will come from the "United States Patent and Trademark Office" in Alexandria, VA, or if by e-mail, specifically from the domain "@uspto.gov." If Michael Best is managing your trademark portfolio, such official notices from the USPTO are received by us and generally are not sent to the trademark owner unless you have made filings directly with the USPTO. Your trademarks are kept on the Michael Best docket, and we will notify you of renewal and other deadlines pertaining to your applications and registrations.

If any communication received by mail or e-mail is from another source, or otherwise seems questionable, please contact your Michael Best attorney to verify the authenticity before responding or making any payments.

To view the last client alert on this topic, click here.