Trademark Scams

I’m Steven Thrasher, and I hate scams almost as much as I hate knockoff artists. So, if you want to avoid losing $20,000 or more and especially if you’ve used a do-it-yourself service or if you have an accounting department that handles your intellectual property transactions for you, you need to watch this video. 

So, let’s go to the board. What I want to emphasize for you today is a danger I see happening over, and over, and over again in my own trademark work. I have clients that are calling me just literally every day because they get a bill or something that looks like a bill from something that looks like an official government agency that’s quite significant, (We’re gonna go over these here in a second) asking them for money. And the reason I’m making this video in particular is because I’ve seen a dramatic increase in both the numbers and the places these are coming from. So, I just want to cover a few of them, so in case you get one of these notices, you’ll know what it is and you won’t waste your money. I’m taking these in no particular order; and by the way, I’m also going to photocopy them and redact some information and put them in a link to the video, so afterwards click on the button and go take a look at these yourself. 

The first one is from a company called WTMR — It’s a thing that looks like a bill and it’s for $980.  The second one is from a company called the Trademark Selection Edition.  And it’s usually followed by the year they send it to you. This one is for $1,360. Here’s another one, it’s from a company called IP Save. What are they going to save you? Well, it ain’t money because they’re billing you for $1,931. Here’s another one, it’s from a company called Trademark Edition. Trademark edition is $2,450.

Again, these all look like they’re coming from the government or some official registry. In fact, this one’s called The Registration of the International Trademark. Wow! That looks official. This bill is for $2,356. But if that’s not official enough for you, this one’s called GloTrade (kind of looks like global trade. Even their logo kind of looks Global). GloTrade’s bill is for $2,890. Here’s another one, The Register of International Patents and Trademarks. Wow! That sounds official too doesn’t it? $2,738. Here’s another one, United States Trademark Registration Office. Another one, sounds official doesn’t it? It’s only for a lowly $375. Here’s another one, Registration of the International Trademark, $2,375 Where do they come up with these numbers? Now this one I’m sure is totally unrelated to the last one because it’s called WDTP, and it just also happens to be for $2,327. Here’s another one, The Patent and Trademark Register, and it is for $2,805! Now, I got another one over here — and frankly, I have lots more! But I quit doing them — putting them up over here on this board because I ran out of space. This one’s for $495, and it’s from the U.S. Trademark Compliance Office. More! How much do all these add up to be? $23,034.50. You know what they get you? Nothing! Well, I won’t say nothing — What they do get you is a website or a little folder that lists your mark along with everybody else that fell for their scam.

So, look out! Oh, by the way, if you want to know a little bit more about them, they have Terms and Conditions on the back that say things like if you want to sue them or you want to complain about what you’ve, you know, you’ve paid for, you gotta go to Switzerland, The Czech Republic, The Slovak Republic, Romania, you know, an easy place like that to get your money back.

So, if you have a trademark or if you have a trademark application, especially if you got it through one of these do-it-yourself services; and if you have an accounting department that handles bill payments (because these things look like bills), let them know, share this video with them. If you have a friend that’s in one of these situations, share this video with them too.