Fake trademark/patent registration agent invoice scam — annual trademark/patent renewal fee + "National Trademark Registry" or similar fake official-sounding body + trademark will lapse/be removed if unpaid + real USPTO/EUIPO fees paid directly to government, no middleman

Trademark and patent invoice fraud targeting small business owners and innovators — one of the most persistent forms of business mail/email fraud. Scammers create official-sounding organizations ("National Trademark Registry," "International Patent Protection Services," "EU Trademark Registry," "World Business Register") and send invoices to businesses whose trademark or patent filings are publicly searchable in government databases. The invoice demands an annual maintenance fee ($250-$600) to "maintain registration" or "protect priority status." Paying this fee accomplishes nothing — the scammer keeps the money and the trademark/patent remains governed solely by the actual government registry (USPTO, EUIPO, IPO, etc.). Key facts: (1) USPTO trademark maintenance fees (Section 8 Declarations, Section 15, renewals) are paid exclusively through TEAS at USPTO.gov — there is no authorized third-party registry; (2) EUIPO, WIPO, and national patent offices worldwide have no authorized private maintenance agents — anyone claiming to be one is fraudulent; (3) These invoices are so common that the USPTO, EUIPO, and WIPO each maintain specific warning pages about them; (4) The invoices often look like government documents — use official seals, legal language, and filing reference numbers scraped from public databases; (5) Companies House (UK) has repeatedly warned about "business directory" and "company register" invoices. Warning signs: company name resembles a government agency, renewal date urgent, payment to a private company not a government agency.