TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Nov 26, 2024

Some 30 lawyers have had their credentials misused to fraudulently secure trademark protections, a growing problem facing the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO), Bloomberg Law reports. Scammers have faked application materials, misused attorney credentials or used social engineering to hijack applicants’ accounts to file fraudulent applications. According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), more than a third of the 2.8 million trademark applications received by the PTO may be false or inaccurate. The GAO advised the PTO to more regularly assess fraud risk of the trademark register while improving its data systems for stronger risk management. The PTO is encouraging lawyers to help spread the word about these scams.