Its timely to remind everyone that if you have received a request for payment of fees relating to patent, trade marks or designs, that hasn’t come from Collison & Co then its very likely its come from a malicious sender.
They look “offical”, have all the correct details and often there is an indication that there is some urgency to sign and pay. In fact there is no urgency, the issuer is a private company and there is no way of ensuring that they will provide the required service.
Examples of these types of scams can be found at IP Australia, United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) and the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) Patent office.
What can you do?
Always manage your IP rights with care and check to ensure that any request for payments comes from an authorised entity.
If you are a client of Collison & Co then renewal reminders and invoices will only come direct from us. If you have any doubt at all please contact with us, include a copy of the correspondence you have received and we will let you know.