2014-03-31

Recently, patent / trademark applicants and rightholders could very well receive direct unsolicited letters in connection with their patent / trademark applications and renewals. At first such letters seem to be an invoice; however, in fact, these letters merely offer a kind of a “publication service” in return for the fee requested.

The international, European and Hungarian patent offices have already publicly notified all stakeholders to be cautious and check carefully the scope and extent of the services offered, since these are not in any way connected with the activities of the authorities and thus they have no legal effect on intellectual property protection. See the links below:

https://oami.europa.eu/tunnel-web/secure/webdav/guest/document_library/contentPdfs/trade_marks/fees_and_payment/misleading_invoices/misleading-invoices_en.pdf

http://www.wipo.int/pct/en/warning/pct_warning.htm

http://www.sztnh.gov.hu/figyelmeztetes.html (Hungarian)

In case you have any questions when you receive such a letter or invoice, please do not hesitate to contact the members of our Trademarks and Designs practice.