Warning concerning - partially misleading - offers, requests for payment and invoices relating to IP applications and renewal of IP rights

The German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA) warns against - partially misleading - offers, requests for payment and invoices relating to IP applications and renewal of IP rights from private companies unrelated to the DPMA.

These companies offer services against payment including the publication or registration of IP rights in non-official registers or the renewal of IP rights at the DPMA.

Often, such letters cannot be identified as offers at first sight - in many cases, this becomes only obvious by carefully reading the small print or the terms and conditions that are sometimes printed on the back. Some communications resemble the communications and forms of the DPMA or other authorities. An even greater danger of confusion is caused by the official-sounding names and logos similar to state emblems of the companies.

You should therefore always carefully read communications containing requests for payment. If you are not sure whether the communications are really from the DPMA, please contact your lawyer or patent attorney. In case of questions regarding unsolicited mail you have received or to inform us about a company that might be sending misleading requests for payment and that should be mentioned here, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Such approaches per se do not have any legal effect; they do not create any obligation to pay the issuer.