A trademark notice that isn't from the USPTO

Once you file a trademark, your details are public, and look-alike notices follow. The USPTO says its emails "end in @uspto.gov", and that it doesn't take payment by "wire transfer, gift cards, cash, check, or money order to third-party addresses" (USPTO).

What it looks like

A notice with an official-sounding name and a government-style layout. It says your registration needs a renewal, a listing in a register, "monitoring", or urgent correction, and gives a fee and a deadline. Some come by post, some by email, and some are phone calls that use the names of real USPTO staff.

How to check, from the USPTO

• Emails directly from the USPTO end in @uspto.gov, and its websites end in .gov.
• USPTO employees will never ask for your personal or payment information over the phone, by email or by text.
• The USPTO doesn't require payment by wire transfer, gift cards, cash, check or money order to third-party addresses.
• Scammers often demand immediate action or a payment that isn't due, with a threat of losing your trademark rights.
• Never share your USPTO.gov account password, even with someone helping you file. An attorney must file through their own account.

Red flags

• The sender's address isn't @uspto.gov, even if the name says "Trademark Office".
• A fee for a register, directory or monitoring service you never ordered.
• A deadline that doesn't match your real renewal dates.
• Anyone asking for your USPTO.gov password.

What to do

1. Check your trademark's real status and deadlines in the USPTO's own records, reached by typing uspto.gov yourself.
2. If you have an attorney of record, ask them. Official correspondence normally goes through them.
3. Don't pay from the notice. Pay USPTO fees only through the USPTO's own systems.
4. Report the notice using the USPTO's guidance on scams.

Questions people ask

Is it a scam if it quotes my real registration number?

Not necessarily genuine: registration numbers and owner details are public, which is exactly how these notices find you.

I'm not in the US. Does this apply?

Other trademark offices describe the same pattern. Check with your own national office, reached through its official website.

How do I check a notice quickly?

Paste the email into the free scam checker. It flags look-alike senders and payment demands.