WTR trademark solicitations and scams survey

World Trademark Review invites you to share your experience and opinions regarding the challenge posed by trademark solicitation campaigns.

WTR has reported on trademark solicitation campaigns, in which third parties sent misleading invoice to trademark registrants in a bid to solicit payments, many times over the past few years.

Now we are hoping to hear from the community about the experience they've had in regards to letters being sent to them, or their clients, asking them to pay substantial fees in order to have their trademark 'registered’ or ‘recorded’ – usually in a journal or online database that offers no value. These letters often bear names that are confusingly similar to official source (for example, ‘WIPO, World Intelligent Property Office’) and dupe users into believing they are paying for official services.

We are hoping to discover the prevalence of the issue worldwide, explore whether if IP offices (or other parties) are doing enough to combat the problem, and garner any other feedback or suggestions they have to help tackle the phenomenon.

When completing the survey, please consider your experience over the past 12 months.

Thank you for your participation.

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* (optional) If you are happy for your comments on this survey to be attributed in future WTR articles, please let us know your name, title and organisation/firm below.

Name:

Job title:

Organisation/law firm:

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* What country are you based in?

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* In the past 12 months, approximately how many scam/unnecessary trademark solicitations have you or your clients received?

1-5

6-10

11-20

21-50

51-99

100+

If you have a comment on the amount of solicitation scam letters you've received in the past 12 months, please add it below:

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* Has the rate that you or your clients received trademark solicitation letters over the past 12 months changed compared to the previous year?

Yes, received significantly more

Yes, received slightly more

Yes, received significantly less

Yes, received slightly less

No, received approximately the same amount

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* Of the scam/fake trademark solicitations received in the past 12 months, did any of your clients believe they were authentic and pay the invoice?

Yes, multiple clients have paid the fee from a fake trademark invoice

Yes, at least one client has paid the fee from a fake trademark invoice

No clients have paid the fee from a fake trademark invoice

If you have a comment on clients paying fees of trademark solicitation campaigns (such as amount paid), please add it below:

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* Based on your experience, do you have any advice for practitioners on how to most effectively protect clients from trademark solicitation scams (especially with respect to identifying scams and ensuring they do not pay)?

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* On a scale of 1 (no problem) to 10 (an urgent and major problem), how significant is the problem of scam/fake trademark solicitations for the global trademark industry?

1 (no problem)

10 (an urgent and major problem)

1 (no problem)

10 (an urgent and major problem)

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* Do you believe that national IP offices are doing enough in terms of raising awareness of trademark solicitation campaigns?

Yes, they are doing enough

Somewhat, but they could do more

No, they are not doing enough

If you have a comment on what IP offices have been particularly good or bad when it comes to raising awareness of trademark solicitation scams, please add it below:

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* Do you believe that all relevant authorities – including national IP offices, postal fraud departments and other government agencies – are doing enough in terms of stopping trademark solicitation campaigns?

Yes, they are doing enough

Somewhat, but they could do more

No, they are not doing enough

If you have a comment on what relevant authorities have been or should be doing when it comes to stopping trademark solicitation scams, please add it below:

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* Are there any parties – from IP offices and IP associations to other relevant agencies and associations – that should do significantly more to combat the trademark solicitation scams (and what)?

Question Title

* (optional) If you are happy for your comments on this survey to be attributed in future WTR articles, please let us know your name, title and organisation/firm below.

Question Title

* What country are you based in?

Question Title

* In the past 12 months, approximately how many scam/unnecessary trademark solicitations have you or your clients received?

Question Title

* Has the rate that you or your clients received trademark solicitation letters over the past 12 months changed compared to the previous year?

Question Title

* Of the scam/fake trademark solicitations received in the past 12 months, did any of your clients believe they were authentic and pay the invoice?

Question Title

* Based on your experience, do you have any advice for practitioners on how to most effectively protect clients from trademark solicitation scams (especially with respect to identifying scams and ensuring they do not pay)?

Question Title

* On a scale of 1 (no problem) to 10 (an urgent and major problem), how significant is the problem of scam/fake trademark solicitations for the global trademark industry?

Question Title

* Do you believe that national IP offices are doing enough in terms of raising awareness of trademark solicitation campaigns?

Question Title

* Do you believe that all relevant authorities – including national IP offices, postal fraud departments and other government agencies – are doing enough in terms of stopping trademark solicitation campaigns?

Question Title

* Are there any parties – from IP offices and IP associations to other relevant agencies and associations – that should do significantly more to combat the trademark solicitation scams (and what)?

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* Are you optimistic or pessimistic that such scams can and will be effectively tackled, and why?