I recently enlisted the help of my lawyer to apply for a trademark that I am hoping to secure for my business.
For the record, you should hire a lawyer who specializes in intellectual property law to secure trademarks. The process isn’t brain surgery but it needs to be done correctly in order to protect your IP. I do not recommend using an online service. Hire a real person at a real law firm to help you navigate the details. The process is not as straightforward as LegalZoom’s “three-step process” would have you believe. Do it wrong and you will have wasted hundreds or thousands of dollars on a trademark that doesn’t protect what you think it protects.
The USPTO (US Patent and Trademark Office) typically takes up to three months to approve or deny an application. Trademark applications and registrations are public records, which means that third party entities can search these records and use the information for nefarious purposes. And they do.
A few days ago, I received the following invoice in the mail requesting payment for my trademark application. Just an invoice for $1,420.00, nothing more.
It’s a scam. A very common scam. I’ve received dozens of similar invoices over the years from a variety of companies after applying for copyright protection, trademarks, and even business licenses.
Throw it away.
If the invoice doesn’t have your lawyer’s letterhead, a USPTO logo, or any kind of identifying mark that you recognize, just toss it in the recycling bin and be done with it. If necessary, exercise due diligence and confirm the invoice. These criminals prey on two things: 1. ignorance and 2. lack of attention.