WARNING: Requests for Payment of Fees

Invitation not listed here? E-mail us a copy

• Trademarks (Madrid System)
• Patents (PCT System)

Mitigating this unscrupulous practice

• WIPO invites its customers to use and adapt this standard text to notify applicants and inventors about such fee requests.
• Circular letter addressed to all PCT Contracting States and Regional Organizations.

How to make a complaint?

WIPO works closely with its member States with the goal of putting an end to this practice, and has assembled the following list of government authorities and consumer protection associations which assist applicants in enforcing local laws against the purveyors of these invoices. Complaints can be filed through the websites listed in the various countries.

Filing a complaint enables investigations to begin, which may in turn result in legal action against these entities. To facilitate the making of a complaint, you may consider using the following sentence:

"I request that these unsolicited invoices be investigated and any corrective legal action, including civil or criminal proceedings, be taken based on a contravention of the applicable laws on unfair business practice, unfair competition and general criminal law."

A scanned copy of the invoice received, plus any further evidence, should also be attached. In the past, WIPO has provided expert testimony at trial, describing the harm caused by this practice and the lack of value of the services provided, and is willing to continue to support applicants in this way.

Successful legal actions

WIPO works closely with its member States with the goal of putting an end to this practice, and has assembled the following list of judgments against certain entities.

Envelopes

PCT applicants and agents have informed the International Bureau that some of these requests to pay fees are being sent in envelopes which appear to bear the WIPO/OMPI logo and the address of the organization. Please carefully review all such requests. The services which are being offered in these invitations do not come from WIPO.

Payment

The invitations typically refer to a payment, which is to be made in euro or US dollars, by cheque and/or money transfer to addresses in:

• AT: Austria; CH: Switzerland; CY: Cyprus; CZ: Czechia; CN(HK): Hong Kong; DE: Germany; DK: Denmark; ES: Spain; GB: United Kingdom; IS: Iceland; PL: Poland; SK: Slovakia; US: United States of America

Other industrial property Offices have made similar warnings

• AT: Austrian Patent Office (in German)
• AU: Australian Patent Office
• CA: Canadian Intellectual Property Office
• CH: Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property
• CZ: Industrial Property Office of the Czech Republic
• DE: German Patent and Trade Mark Office (in German)
• DK: Danish Patent and Trademark Office (in Danish)
• EM: European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO)
• EP: European Patent Office
• ES: Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (in Spanish)
• FR: National Institute of Industrial Property (France)
• GB: United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office
• HU: Hungarian Intellectual Property Office (HIPO)
• IE: Intellectual Property Office of Ireland
• IL: Israel Patent Office (in Hebrew)
• IT: Italian Patent and Trademark Office (in Italian)
• JP: Japan Patent Office (in Japanese)
• KR: Korean Intellectual Property Office (in Korean)
• NZ: Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand (IPONZ)
• SK: Industrial Property Office (Slovakia)
• US: United States Patent and Trademark Office

The sending of these notices appears to not be restricted to the patent context; within WIPO, the administration of the Madrid System for the International Registration of Marks has placed a general warning on its website in relation to such invitations to pay fees.