I’m seeing a new trademark solicitation from “PSO” advertising a worthless “Trademark Publication” for $1,450. These letters are landing about a week after an application is filed—right after your contact details and serial number appear in the USPTO’s public database.
PSO (listing a Bluffton–Hilton Head address) offers a “publication” that has no legal effect. It is not connected to the USPTO, does not speed up examination, and provides no additional protection. In private practice and during my time as a USPTO examining attorney, I have never once seen such publications used for anything meaningful. The value of this “service” is $0.
What to do if you receive this letter
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Do not pay. This is a solicitation, not an official bill.
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Discard it and report it:
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USPTO (misleading solicitations)
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Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
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U.S. Postal Inspection Service (for mail fraud / mail-based scams)
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Forward it to your trademark counsel so it can be documented.
Why you’re being contacted
Your application details—name, address, and serial number—are public shortly after filing. Solicitors scrape that data to send official-looking mailers. Remember: Official USPTO communications come directly from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, typically by email through your TEAS filing address or via your attorney of record. The USPTO does not invoice third‑party “publication” fees like this.
A call for enforcement
These solicitations are clearly designed to mislead and scam trademark owners. I encourage the USPTO, the Trademark Public Advisory Committee (TPAC), the FTC, the Department of Justice, and the U.S. Postal Service to continue and expand investigations and crackdowns. For example, when these operations use virtual or coworking addresses (such as PSO), property managers should be alerted that a tenant is using their space/address for fraud.
Thank you for this article. We have received more communication from scammers (including this exact letter) than we have from the actual trademark office!