UK Intellectual Property Office Warns Against Paying Misleading Trademark and Patent Invoices

The UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has issued a comprehensive warning to intellectual property owners regarding misleading payment requests. These fraudulent invoices, often received unsolicited, target holders of trademarks, designs, and patents, primarily focusing on trademark customers.

Such misleading invoices typically originate from organizations that are not connected to the IPO. They offer high-cost services related to intellectual property rights, which recipients are not obliged to pay for. The IPO emphasizes that these invoices are deceptive and should not be settled, as recovering funds is highly unlikely.

These fraudulent entities often operate across international borders, complicating enforcement efforts. Consequently, the IPO advises recipients to exercise caution and verify the legitimacy of any invoice before making payments.

If an individual or business receives a suspicious invoice, the IPO recommends the following actions: first, send a copy of the invoice to misleadinginvoices@ipo.gov.uk, where a dedicated team will review and respond. Second, report the incident to Report Fraud by submitting an Information Report through the online reporting tool.

To assist IP owners in recognizing such scams, the IPO has published examples of redacted scam invoices available in an ODT file format (1.65 MB). These examples illustrate the typical appearance and content of misleading invoices.

The IPO also notes that these fraudulent organizations frequently change their company names to evade detection. Therefore, if the sender is unfamiliar or not listed among known misleading mail companies, recipients should forward the invoice to the IPO’s designated email for verification.

For further reassurance or inquiries, the IPO encourages contacting misleadinginvoices@ipo.gov.uk directly.

The IPO regularly updates its resources to reflect the latest information on misleading mail companies and examples of fraudulent invoices. Notably, updates were made on 30 July 2024, including revisions to the list of misleading companies and the ODT document, as well as on 12 October 2022 for the list of companies under the heading 'Who are these misleading mail companies?'.

This advisory forms part of the IPO’s ongoing commitment to protect intellectual property owners from fraud and to improve government services. The IPO also invites feedback from users to enhance the GOV.UK platform.

IP owners are urged to remain vigilant and to utilize the IPO’s resources to avoid falling victim to misleading payment requests related to intellectual property rights.