Warning Issued Over False USPTO Website

The European Union Intellectual Property Office has issued a public warning, in relation to imitation websites that are fraudulently claiming to be the United States Patent and Trademark Office. These websites are occurring more frequently and are often linked to low-cost filing platforms.

The particular website that sparked this warning appears at the domain trademarkassistancecenter.com and is investing in paid google ads to drive traffic. These paid ads will allow the website to appear higher up Google’s page 1 than the organic result for the USPTO itself.

These websites appear to be related to the USPTO, giving added credibility to their services. The low-cost filing platforms and their owners have been linked to a range of deceitful practices, including money laundering and fraudulent trade mark or patent applications.

If you are a trade mark applicant or proprietor, please check with your patent or trademark attorney before clicking through. If you suspect a website is fraudulent, please contact your patent attorney and/or report it to the EUIPO Anti-Scam network at PROTECT@euipo.europa.eu.