It has come to our attention that several of our clients have received fraudulent emails, claiming that a third party is attempting to register that client’s trade mark. This email is also being sent to other IP owners through-out the country.
The email purports to offer you a chance to register your trade mark in Ireland, as “your company was the first to be registered at the Companies Registration Office”. It also demands action in 3 days or, it claims, the other application will go ahead and the other party will obtain the rights to your trade mark.
The body of the email follows:
Dear Sir/Madam,
Yesterday we received an application for the trademark registration of (your brand). This application was not filed by you or your company, but by a third party, as we observed from the application forms. During our screening, we noticed that you have a similar company name, but in a different sector. Given the fact that your company was the first to be registered with the Companies Registration Office, you have the first option of registering this brand name. If you would rather not have the other party use this brand name, please let us know. In that case, you can register the trademark for yourself. If you want to register the trademark in Ireland, the costs are €599 excluding VAT. Your registration will be processed within 24 hours. A specification of the fees for a European or international registration is published on our website. Please let me know within three business days whether you wish to make use of this offer. If you do not respond or are not interested, we will approve the other party’s application, which means that they will obtain the trademark rights to (your brand).’
The Intellectual Property Office of any country is the only authority who can process and grant a trade mark, and for their country only. Never pay fees to any other party without first checking with M&D. The IPOI has posted an update with regard to this current scam as well.
Other attempts have also been made to reach our clients from another company, through phone calls in which they claim that trade mark registrations are expired.
Please do not follow up with third parties with regard to your Intellectual Property. If you receive such an email or phone call, please get in touch with us so we can confirm the position concerning the security of your Intellectual Property.