Got a letter about your trademark? How to spot a scam
An official USPTO email comes from an address ending in @uspto.gov. Letters from private companies that ask you to pay to keep, renew or protect your trademark are solicitations, not USPTO notices.
An official USPTO email comes from an address ending in @uspto.gov. A solicitation from a private company may copy the USPTO's name, logo or layout and still ask you to pay. A request for fees from a private company is not a USPTO request, even when the letter looks official.
Check the sender's full address
Look at the full address, not the name shown in the message. Scam senders often use lookalike domains that add words, swap letters or change the ending. An address that is not @uspto.gov should not receive your money or your details. Type the address yourself rather than following a link, so you control where you go.
Signs of a solicitation
- A private company asks for a fee to renew, register or protect your mark.
- The letter sets a short deadline and warns that your mark will be cancelled if you do not act.
- It asks for payment by wire transfer, gift card or a payment link you did not request.
- It lists your mark or registration number and asks you to confirm details, sign something or send payment.
- It offers a directory listing, a monitoring service or a registration certificate for a fee.
Official notice or solicitation
| Official USPTO notice | Private solicitation | |
|---|---|---|
| Sender address | Ends in @uspto.gov | Any other domain, including lookalikes |
| Payment | Not requested by a private company | Requested by the sender |
| Status | Can be checked on uspto.gov | Asks you to act without checking |
| Tone | States the facts, with no threat | Short deadline and a threat of cancellation |
What to do with a letter
- Do not pay, sign or click anything in the letter yet.
- Check your application or registration status yourself on uspto.gov, using the number from your own records, not the number in the letter.
- Read the deadline and any action the USPTO has recorded.
- Call or email us. We will read the letter with you and tell you whether it matches the USPTO record.
Write down the date you received the letter and the sender's address, even if you decide to ignore it. A record helps if you later want to report it or check it with us.
Why these letters look real
Solicitations copy USPTO wording and often quote a registration number from public records. A correct number does not prove who sent the letter. Check the sender and the status yourself, every time.
Why the deadline is the pressure point
Solicitations rely on urgency. A short deadline, a threat of cancellation and a request to act today are the parts of a letter most worth slowing down for. Your application status is on the USPTO record, and you can read that record yourself before you decide anything.
If you want to reply to a letter, use contact details you found on uspto.gov, not the details printed in the letter.
If you have already paid
Contact your bank or card provider as soon as you can, and say the payment went to a private company that sent a solicitation. Keep every message, invoice and payment record. Then tell us. We will check the USPTO record with you and tell you whether anything on it needs action.
The USPTO's own guidance
The USPTO publishes its own warnings about fraudulent solicitations on its website, uspto.gov. Start there when you are unsure about any notice about your trademark.
Related guides
- Trademark renewal letters: official or scam?
- Ways to file a trademark compared
- Should you hire a lawyer or file yourself?
- How much does it cost to trademark a name?
Talk to us: Call +1 (619) 782-6859 or email hello@argostrademark.com
This is general information, not legal advice.