The German Patent and Trade Mark Office has been contacted by a number of applicants and holders of IP rights. The clients had received allegedly official invitations to pay from private firms for the entry of their IP titles in publications or private registers. The accompanying letters regularly convey the impression that the recipients must pay the requested amount. Frequently, the letters contain details such as the file number or the application or registration dates. Sometimes, print-outs of the official gazettes (Markenblatt, Geschmacksmusterblatt, Patentblatt) are attached.
The DPMA would like to remind all customers that the registration of or changes in relation to IP rights are published ex officio and that official fees are collected exclusively by the German Patent and Trade Mark Office, as a rule in advance. Payment forms issued by other senders should be examined carefully. The DPMA has repeatedly filed criminal charges for fraud. To our regret, it is difficult to sue these firms, since the invitations to pay are usually posted abroad and new senders tend to appear.
© 2009 Deutsches Patent- und Markenamt | Last updated 17.11.2009