It is important that you are aware of companies receiving false documents that appear to be invoices for community trade mark applications.

Typically, these are received following the publication or grant of a UK trade mark, with the information of the recipient being taken from the trade mark register. The documents, however, are not genuine invoices but, if paid, act to instruct the company to prepare an application on behalf of the recipient - often at inflated fees. There is no guarantee that an application will result in the grant of a trade mark and you could incur further costs.

As such, you should view any document relating to the preparation or submission of a trade mark application with caution and, in every event, check that any correspondence is from your trade mark agent.

In order to avoid such scams, ensure that any document received is from a contact that you have an existing business relationship with and, in every case, always check that any fees relate to specific services which are inclusive of all statutory fees.

For further advice or to discuss the bogus trade mark applications in more detail, please contact:

Susan Hall

0845 404 5409

susan.hall@cobbetts.com

The content of this news alert is for information only and should not be relied upon as a substitute for legal advice. Copyright 2009 Cobbetts LLP - All rights reserved - May 2009