A client forwarded me a recent letter about renewing their trademark registration from Trademark Renewal Services with an address at
1229 Chestnut Street, Front 1 #449
Philadelphia, PA 19107
See the image of their mailing below.
The document could easily be mistaken as coming from the government – the name, the look and feel of the document, the registration number.
The mailing is a scam because they sent it a full year before renewal could actually be filed. And because they lied about the renewal date and the registration date.
If this was a legitimate service at a reasonable value, why would they mask who they are, and why would they choose the odd (generic!) name of “Trademark Renewal Service”? Properly protecting trademarks – and trademark registrations – is more than just filling out a form. And for proper trademark registration renewals and Section 8 and 15 filings, calculating the dates and deadlines accurately is crucial.
Beware of such scams. Read the fine print. Contact your attorney. Report scams to the FTC and USPTO.
For more information, see USPTO’s WARNING: Non-USPTO Solicitations That May Resemble Official USPTO Communications
I got one in the mail today too. Red flag was no return address on the envelope and I actually have already been scammed once around my TM. The website also does not work when typed in.