June 11, 2026

Hello Reader,

Most business owners know to watch out for fake trademark invoices.

You file a trademark application, your business information becomes public, and then letters start arriving that look official.

They may say you owe money.

They may include a deadline.

They may use words that sound like a government agency.

Those scams are frustrating, but they are not the only risk.

Sometimes the bigger risk happens earlier.

It happens when the trademark application itself is filed by someone who is not handling the work properly.

IPWatchdog recently reported that the USPTO has been taking action to remove or target for removal around 10,500 trademark applications and registrations connected to fraudulent submissions and scam billing practices.

The reported issues included forged attorney signatures, improper signature practices, unauthorized filing activity, fake specimens, and invented fees or unnecessary services charged to trademark owners.

That should get every founder’s attention.

A trademark application is not just an online form.

It contains legal claims about ownership, use, goods, services, dates, specimens, signatures, and who is authorized to act.

If those claims are wrong, the problem may not show up right away.

The application might still get filed.

It might even move forward for a while.

But later, if the USPTO questions the filing or the registration is challenged, the owner may discover that the foundation was weak from the beginning.

That is painful because the owner may have acted in good faith.

The business owner may have believed the company handling the filing knew what it was doing. The owner may have paid the invoice, approved the name, and assumed the rest was being handled correctly.

But if someone else signs improperly, files without proper authority, misstates use, submits a questionable specimen, or charges for imaginary requirements, the owner is the one left with the mess.

This is one reason cheap trademark filing services can be more expensive than they look.

The visible price is only part of the cost.

The hidden cost is the risk that nobody is carefully checking whether the filing is accurate, whether the application strategy makes sense, whether the specimen supports use, and whether the person filing is authorized to do what they are doing.

Before you trust someone with your trademark filing, ask simple questions:

Who is preparing the application?

Who is signing it?

Is a licensed U.S. attorney reviewing the legal issues?

Will that attorney be listed in the USPTO record?

Are the USPTO fees real government fees?

Are the deadlines real?

Is the specimen actually showing proper trademark use?

Those are not technical questions. They are ownership questions.

Your trademark record can become part of the public history of your brand. If that record is filled with weak claims, careless language, or improper filings, it can follow the brand for years.

There is also a simple lesson here about scam invoices.

After you file, expect suspicious mail.

Many trademark owners receive solicitations that look official but are not from the USPTO. Some are technically solicitations. Some are misleading. Some are flat-out scams.

When in doubt, do not pay first and ask questions later.

Check whether the bill is actually from the USPTO or from your attorney. If it is not, slow down.

Trademark protection is supposed to create confidence.

It should not create a bigger problem because the filing was handled by the wrong people or because a fake bill looked convincing.

If you are considering filing a trademark and want to understand the safest strategy, you can review the filing options here:

Trademark Registration Options Here

J.J. Lee and the Trademark Lawyer Law Firm Team

P.S. The danger is not only losing the filing fee. The bigger danger is building on a trademark record you cannot trust.