Clients regularly ask us about unsolicited mail they have received from companies and individuals, which is addressed to them as the applicants for, and owners of, intellectual property rights.

The UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) has issued a further warning about this type of correspondence, where various unofficial IP services are offered, including assistance with renewals of patents and trade marks and invitations for applications into publications and registers, in return for payment of a fee.

The only offices which are able to provide legal protection for patents, designs and trade marks in the UK are the Intellectual Property Office, the European Patent Office and the Office for Harmonization in the Internal Market (OHIM).

Should you receive any suspicious looking correspondence, please contact us to confirm its authenticity.

Tags: intellectual property rights, UK Intellectual Property Office, unsolicited mail