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Around the festive season: the DPMA warns against misleading payment requests

Do not make any hasty payments!

Experience shows that in the run-up to Christmas, there is an increase in the number of letters sent out that give the impression of being official invoices or offers relating to property rights. The German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA) would like to point out that such correspondence does not originate from the DPMA, but often merely looks like official mail.

Please check such letters carefully and do not make any hasty payments. Pay particular attention to the sender's details and unusual account numbers. If you receive a questionable document or are unsure, our customer service team will be happy to assist you.

In addition, fraudulent payment requests by email are repeatedly in circulation. In emails allegedly sent on behalf of the DPMA, recipients are asked to transfer "due" application fees (up to four-digit amounts) to an alleged DPMA account; please note: these often have Polish or other foreign IBAN numbers. The fraudulent emails also often contain a fake trademark certificate bearing the DPMA logo and a forged signature.

The DPMA expressly points out that these e-mails are not related to the Office. The Office does not send invoices or requests for payment - neither for the application or renewal of IP rights nor for their publication in the official registers. The DPMA has already filed a criminal complaint.

The German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA) warns against – partially misleading – offers, requests for payment and invoices from private companies. These companies offer services against payment including the publication or registration of IP rights in commercial registers. They also offer the renewal of IP rights at the DPMA and charge a fee for this service in addition to the official fees.

We explicitly point out that these companies are not associated with the DPMA.

What are misleading requests for payment?

Often, such letters cannot be identified as offers at first sight – in many cases, this becomes only obvious by carefully reading the small print or the terms and conditions that are sometimes printed on the back. You should therefore always carefully read communications containing requests for payment in connection with IP rights.
Indications that it is not an official letter:

  • Bank details of a company abroad, e.g. Poland (PL), Slovakia (SK), Cyprus (CY), Tunisia (TN) or Bulgaria (BG)
  • pre-filled transfer slip
  • address other than that of an authority or office of the DPMA

What are the actual fees charged?

he official fees are due and must be paid to the DPMA when filing an application or submitting a request for the renewal or maintenance of an IP right or for other individual procedural steps. No additional fees are charged for the publication of IP rights in the official registers.
The DPMA does not send out any invoices or requests for payment.
All information on official fees is available in the leaflet pdf-Datei Information Concerning Costs, Fees and Expenses of the German Patent and Trade Mark Office and of the Federal Patent Court (form A 9510.1). There you will also find the terms of payment and the bank details of the DPMA.

On the fee pages we have compiled information on official fees of the DPMA.

Which companies are known to the DPMA?

Letters from the following companies have recently been brought to our attention:

  • EUTD - European Trademarks & Domains (Internetadresse: www.eutd.org)
  • IOIP – International Organisation Intellectual Property Registration International Mark
  • IPOS - Intellectual Property Organisation Service (Internetadresse: www.ip-os.org)
  • IPS – Intellectual Property Services (Internetadresse: www.ipservices.biz)
  • IPTR - International Patent and Trademark Register (Internetadresse: www.iptr.biz)
  • PMR-Service GmbH - Patent- und Markenregister (Internetadresse: www.pmr-serv.com)
  • TMP Register - Trademark Publication (Internetadresse: www.tmp-register.com)
  • WPAT- World Patents and Trademarks (Internetadresse: www.wpat-service.com)
  • WPT - World Patent and Trademark Register ltd (Internetadresse: www.worldpatenttrademark.com/)

  • List of the companies which have been brought to the attention of the DPMA

Have you received such a letter?

If you receive requests for payment, offers or invoices relating to your IP right pending before the DPMA from companies where you have doubts about the legitimacy of the request for payment, you can contact our Customer Care and Services any time. If you have not found the company in question in our list, please send an e-mail to info@dpma.de and provide an example in the attachment.
Holders of international registrations of marks who received a communication can contact WIPO directly to find out if the communication received is indeed an official communication by WIPO:

  • For this purpose, please call the International Bureau (phone: +41 22 338-9111) or send an e-mail to intreg.mail@wipo.int
  • In addition, you may contact the Legal Division of the Madrid Union with respect to any query concerning this and any other legal issue: madridlegal@wipo.int

Furthermore, the DPMA would like to informatively warn against the fact that sometimes misleading invoices for the registration of domain names are sent to domain holders. The reason for the invoice is often "commercial intellectual property rights" or "The phase 1 registration is a mandatory procedure for commercial undertakings within the EU" or similar. However, there is often no connection to the intellectual property rights pending at the DPMA. Nevertheless, we would like to name a few companies of such offer letters as examples:

  • IPON ACER Europe (Internetadresse: www.ipon-europe.com)
  • IP Alpenlander (Internet address: www.ip-alpenlander.de)
  • IP Uberwachungs (Internet address: www.ip-uberwachungs.de)

Not only the DPMA issues warnings

Other IP offices have also issued warnings on their websites concerning – partially misleading – offers, requests for payment and invoices from companies unrelated to them:

  • World Intellectual Property Organization (externer Link WIPO)
  • European Union Intellectual Property Office (externer Link EUIPO)
  • European Patent Office (externer Link EPO) and
  • numerous national IP offices such as the
    • Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (externer Link IPI) and the
    • United States Patent and Trademark Office (externer Link USPTO)

The German Protective Association against Economic Crime (externer Link Deutscher Schutzverband gegen Wirtschaftskriminalität – DSW) as well as numerous chambers of commerce and industry provide comprehensive information about the practice described on this page, also known as scam.

Last updated: 12 December 2025