A client recently forwarded me a scam solicitation that I had yet to see. GLOTRADE s.r.o. offers to publish the client’s trademark registration in their directory or “private database”. For $1,230!
According to the back of their offer, customers can search their database for similarities. But is their database reliable? What is in it? What type of search features are offered? What does it contain that is not publicly available information (for free) already?
This “publication” has no real value to trademark owners. I have never met a trademark professional who relies on any such private directories for anything. They are incomplete and unofficial. They do not add to your trademark’s protection in any meaningful way.
I have published their solicitation below. It is possible there is some monitoring they provide with the service, but the offer is vague about the nature of it and whether it is included or separate.
If you have been taken by this scam, I suggest that you file a complaint with the FTC, write a letter to the USPTO Commissioner, and contact law enforcement.
Beware of such scams. Read the fine print. Contact your attorney. Report scams to the FTC and USPTO.
It continues to astound me that the USPTO, DOJ, FTC, and others refuse to do more to investigate and halt these blatant scams targeting trademark owners.
I received an offer from GLOTRADE s.r.o. so happy I googled and found your information regarding them. Wonder why they think someone would pay them $2,890.00 to “publish”my trademark? I guess people will try anything. Thanks for your blog.
I am glad you found out about this scam before from GLOTRADE it was too late!
I too just opened an envelope with the same offer of $2,890!! Scared the hell out of me because I cannot afford this. I originally thought it was an official invoice and am relieved to know that it is a scam.
I also just got a letter from GLOTRADE s.r.o asking me to send them a cheque for $2,525! They stated it be forwarded to their Montreal headquarters. I googled them to get a phone number to contact them with so I could understand what they were offering and this post popped up. Glad I found it!
I got one too. It’s a disgrace, & that should be stopped. Not only is Glotrade stealing our money, the isotope,the FTC & doj is f- ing us. Bend over. Our government has failed us again. The problem is everyone of our leaders in Congress & senate are lawyers. Do you know an honest law. For every law there is a way out. Oh, I back our president 100 per cent.
I just received a letter from them today!!!!
I received the same offer today.
I just received the same offer and it looks like an invoice so it is good to be aware of these guys! They even used the logo of my trademark!
Just received this GLOTRADE s.r.o scam in the mail.
Initially it had me pretty worried I owed money regarding my trademark. However, the more I looked at it things did not add up. They did not even know my trademark name and it was talking about the U.S. patent and trademark office and my trademark is only for Canada.
I am so glad to find out from the internet this is a scam!
I wish someone would track these low life scammers and lock them up for trying to swindle other peoples hard earned money.
Thanks for the heads up on this!
Jimmy
Amazing, I just received this same thing in the mail today. I’m glad I Googled Glotrade.
Thanks so much for making this site to raise awareness… I knew it was a scam right away. There is another entity out there that had done this… but it was pertaining to state matters (not a trademark). I quickly discarded it for my person. Now that this second one has come… It dawned on me to start making a list of such entities. I feel sorry for those out there that get these correspondences from entities soliciting funds and end up unknowingly giving it away under false pretenses.
I received two today, but I believe it is a scam. why nobody takes legal action against this company?
I have received two of these for separate trademarks our company filed for. I was handed them to pay. Glad I read the fine print and looked it up. SCAM
This company also just tried to run this on us, for $2,890. I guess that means my Trademark for zerocares.com is finally registered. Another company called Trademarkedition.com runs the same exact scam, and they sent me a request for $2,450, to ‘publish’ the trademark. No thanks.
Received one in the mail today! Wanting $2890.00 Glad I always Google! Thanks for posting! You’re posting was the first thing that popped up!
Thank so much the valuable information. I got $2,525 bill too.
Thank you – I also received a bill for $2890. I actually emailed them for some information prior to reading this post. This would otherwise be very easy to overlook and take for an invoice. Here’s the response I received:
To begin with, let us please explain that for now there is no record on any invoice sent to you on our part. The correspondence you have received from us is a proposal to register your trademark in our private database. As far as the correspondence sent is concerned, the quotation in question includes the services and the prices charged for those services provided on our part. In this case, there is no need for filing any forms or documents.
The registration fee provides a user of services with extensive access to the database administered by us, use of all of its functions including the searching and comparative ones. The objective of our database is the creation of a system which enables to preventively avoid interference with other rights based on a trademark as well as monitoring other possible interferences with the very trademark. Last but not least our database enables monitoring and assessing the current situation in the market of developmental trends.
Our system gathers open information on the published trademarks in the database which enables protection thereof and prevention of possible undesired interference without thus interfering unlawfully with the rights of the owner of the trademark.
Access to that private database is in general reserved just those parties that will pay the registration fee to make use of the services of the database. We of course also provide limited access to the public to enable our potential customers to acquaint themselves with the basic functions of the database. Time of publication is the same as the up-to-datedness of a trademark.
Please note that the quotation submitted was to present those services and products to you that we expected you to be interested in. The price offer has been sent to your company in general
Wow ;’I … First I’m not surprised ,at the level of deception to take monetary advantage..It appears lucrative enough ,because they continue.I simply say if you are solicited for a fee for a service BE AWARE.Yep I received a generous offer of $2890.00 …Right now I don’t see the value of such an exchange offered by glotrade… if it is a business your brand is taking a hit…
I got an “invoice” from glotrade. Glad I found this page.
Ditto, $2525
I got a bill from glotrade too. They wanted $2890 from me. Glad that I googled the name of this company!
same here. this blog post was first one to show up. glad someone put this up. thank you
I also received one for $2525.. best part was it didn’t even have my company name or logo on it. Pretty piss pour attempt to steal my money. Hope Karma burns these theifs well.
So happy I googled this… $2525 was my bill. I kind of panicked for a slight second thinking that I maybe forgot something for my trademark. Thank you for this very informative blog =)
I receive an invoice from to Glotrade sro to protect my trademark. They do not mention my registration number nor any official information.
Thanks to this site for the information provided and the testimonials about the Glotrade sro scam.
Cheers
Good day,
I received the same invoice for payment from Glotrade S.R.O. today.. I was pretty certain it was a scam since we do business with a local trademark lawfirm.. but I am glad I found this information. They were trying to request $2,525.00 dollars from us.
They’re still at it. I received two at our company for $2890 each. I registered them as a scam on the BBB, which I’m sure others have done too. Maybe one day they’ll be stopped.
This is quite unfortunate that things like this could go on without any action against these scammers. I got $2,890 and was planning to pay but thank God I came across this site tonight through google and discovered the truth. Big appreciation to you this blogger.
I got the same scam today. I immediately distrust any business operating out of Texas, and especially Houston Texas. Home of Enron and so many other scam companies throughout the decades.
Unbelievable! My letter for $2,890 just came in the mail today… is the world becoming that treacherous??? Thank you for your blog and I hope things like this get the justice it deserves.
My client received a bill dated 8/28/18 for $2,890.00.
Outrageous!
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Thank you, I’ll post this on my social media for the world to know their scam. I know it a scam right away. I read all the very fine print and confirm it.
Thank you so much for this info. My gut told me it’s a scam, but it’s always great to do the research. You are helping many people with this info! Thanks so much. My invoice was for $2,890.00 !!!
Yesterday (10/01/2018) I received a “solicitation” from Glotrade offering trademark protection for $2,890.00. I looked over their envelop – from Budapest, Hungary. They stated their main office was in Czech Republic, but stated they had an office in Texas; extremely suspicious, which caused me to write this memo.
We too received the same letter. Thank you so much for posting this warning. We may have simply paid it assuming it was legit.
We too received the same letter. Thank you so much for posting this warning. We may have simply paid it assuming it was payable.
Same here. Just received a solicitation from Glotrade s.r.o. The mailing looks legitimate. It looks like a real invoice and has our all of our company information. This is so misleading. Plus, I’m so busy, I normally push these types of invoices on to my accounting department. Thank you for taking the time to post this information and to others for posting their experiences with this. Very helpful!
Got one today for $2890. Same fraud
Why are they still around if it’s a scam and it should be known by now. Thank you for your blog. I was going to contact my Attorney but your blog confirmed my suspicion.
Just got one too. Thanks for this post. Really helps.
also gor a letter for . thank you for the information. posts like this really help!!! This company should be investigated!
Can I effectively due this company for its misleading services? The approach cones across as I owe them, but clearly do not.
Got one too! 2,525$ for my name and 2,525$ for my logo lol I knew right away something was wrong as our legal advisor never mentioned such an outrageous cost!!!
Oh and I noticed the envelop is stamped from: P.P. Prioritaire, Magyar Posta, Budapest, 1005 WTR
Something smelled more than fishy!!!
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Use the enclosed self-addressed envelope to send them a note saying what you think of their kind (preferably by hastily scrawling something in black marker on a white sheet of paper). This will only cost you a postage stamp and it is an appropriate response to such a scam.
Did the same!!!
I reveived exactly the same invoice as yours asking for $2500, my gut told me to google them first, luckily I did and thanks for your post
Received one of these envelopes. It is the second of this type of scam I’ve received. If you read the envelope it says Budapest, Hungary. The first scam came from Germany from another solicitor. What scares me is my information is being found by foreign scammers. I believe this is why nothing much can be done because it’s coming from outside the US. I usually just reply: “you have been reported to the government and do not contact me again”
I just received two of these as well, one from Glotrade for $2899 and another one from WTMR for $980.
I’m glad I found this blog online just to reconfirm that this is a scam, thanks.
Jan 30 2019 I just got two one for each trademark. @,890 each. Thought it was a scam . Thanks for the blog.
Thank you for saving my life and wallet. We just got this in the mail!
I received this as well. They wanted $2,525. Spread awareness in your professional networks! Thanks for the post.
I just received the same letter today in the amount of $2890.00. At first I thought it was real but I never heard of this company so I laughed while I read the letter because I knew it was a scam when I saw the total due. The letter is going straight to the trash. Thanks for the awareness
I am so grateful for retaining legal counsel in the process of registering my trademark. The letter was vague with no phone or website from what I saw on the front page. Random stuff, always double check with counsel.
Thankfully, all I lost was a night of sleep! I googled GLOTRADE this morning and found this. Thought I’d have to somehow come up with $2,890.00, which my tiny company cannot afford. THANK YOU for posting this!!!!!
I spoke with the USPTO Commissioner for Trademarks this morning, she recommmends that anyone receiving the letter should submit a detailed complaint to the FTC. https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/?utm_source=takeaction#crnt
Same here, very thankful for the post. mine was $2890.00. Lucky I google it first.
This first one who posts this is a hero.
Thanks for sharing. I spoke to the USPTO Commissioner for Trademarks this morning, she recommmends that anyone receiving the letter should submit a detailed complaint to the FTC. https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/?utm_source=takeaction#crnt
Received such letter from Glo Trade today. Looks like a scam, feels like a scam, and glad to confirm here that it is a scam.
I receive the same fraud letter from this FRAUD GLOTRADE s.r.o.
UNBELIEVABLE !!! Thanks for the confirmation.
got the letter today
new address
GLOTRADE S.R.O
340 S LEMON AVE #8944
WALNUT, CA 91789
USA
Thank you for sharing. Not surprisingly, this appears to be a virtual mail box address. https://www.virtualpostmail.com/locations/walnut-ca
I received the letter yesterday with a amount to pay of € 1.834,50 (I’m in Europe)
The real question should be: WHY the EUIPO (European Intelectual Property Office, the european USPTO probably…) allows to SHARE our details with these people??
I got one today for £940. Luckily i had been warned by my local government (in the UK) to watch out for scammers.
I had a similar letter from Glotrade, demanding a payment of £940. I was immediately suspicious, mainly based on advice given to me by the promoter of a show I perform in. I googled Glotrade and immediately found this post.
Thank you so much.