If you have filed a trade mark application in the UK or Europe, the chances are you will have received a letter from one or more companies with ‘Renewal notices’ for your registration.
The letters look very official and are extremely misleading. The fees quoted for carrying out the renewal are extortionate and there is no guarantee that the actual official fees will be paid. We know of several of our clients who have been misled into making excessive payments in the belief that they were paying the UK Intellectual Property Office for the renewal of their IP rights.
In May 2013 the UK Intellectual Property Office made a claim for passing off to the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court against the two worst offenders – ‘Patent and Trademark Office’ and ‘Patent and Trade Mark Organisation’.
These organisations have now admitted to and settled the UK IPO claims and agreed to be bound by an Order of the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court prohibiting them from further acts of passing off.
If you receive a letter of this kind are are not sure whether it is legitimate please contact us or the UK IPO to confirm if it is legitimate.
For more information about trade mark registration within the UK and Europe please contact Sandersons.
Links
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/intellectual-property-office-succeeds-in-passing-off-claim
https://www.justice.gov.uk/courts/rcj-rolls-building/intellectual-property-enterprise-court
Intellectual Property Enterprise Court – Wikipedia
Resolving IP disputes through the courts – UK IPO
