Got a trademark letter, email or call asking you to pay? Check TSDR first. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office says official communications, "including office actions or letters with requests for payment or other information, are always uploaded to TSDR under the 'documents' tab. If it's not in TSDR, it's not an official communication." Real USPTO emails end in @uspto.gov, its websites end in .gov, and USPTO employees never ask for your personal or payment information by phone, email or text. Not sure? Call the Trademark Assistance Center at 1-800-786-9199.
The signs, in the USPTO's words
- Pressure and a threat: "a demand for immediate action or payment that's not due," usually with a threat of losing your trademark rights if you don't pay.
- Odd ways to pay: the USPTO doesn't require payment by wire transfer, gift cards, cash, check or money order to third-party addresses.
- Look-alike names: "USPTO stands for 'The United States Patent and Trademark Office.' Any variation is not part of the USPTO, such as 'Patent and Trademark Bureau' or 'Trademark Renewal Service.'" Misleading mailers may use words like "United States," "Trademark," "Office" or "Agency" in their business names, and the fine print often says the company isn't a federal agency.
- Your details as bait: scam emails may include your application serial number, registration number or trademark to look official.
- "Recommended by the USPTO": "We DO NOT recommend specific companies or attorneys."
- Asking for your USPTO.gov password: never share it, even with someone who helps you file. An attorney who represents you must have their own USPTO.gov account.
- Calls that look real: some scammers call using the names, numbers and locations of real USPTO employees, with fake caller ID.
From USPTO: Recognizing common scams, read November 4, 2026. The USPTO also keeps examples of real solicitations customers have received.
The fix: check it in two minutes
- Open TSDR, enter your serial or registration number, and look under the documents tab. Not there means not the USPTO.
- Look at the sender: an email from @uspto.gov, a website ending in .gov. Hover over the email address to see the real one, and look for slight misspellings in the company name.
- Call to confirm: if no examining attorney has your application yet, the Trademark Assistance Center at 1-800-786-9199; if you have a recent office action in TSDR, the number in its signature block.
- Know the real fees on the USPTO's fee schedule before paying anyone.
- Report it: a spoofed website, or your signature on a filing you didn't sign, goes to TMScams@uspto.gov.
Rather just ask? Text your question to PJ, a real person in Cardiff, and he answers it. Asking is free. Got a trademark notice and not sure it's real? A real person checks it against TSDR with you and texts you back. Text PJ
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- Letter Fix: PJ sits with you, finds your trademark in TSDR and checks the letter against it: $25 flat. He doesn't file or give legal advice; only trademark owners or their U.S.-licensed attorneys can file with the USPTO.
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"Got a trademark letter or email asking you to pay? The USPTO says if it's not in TSDR, it's not official. How to check:"
More look-alike letters: the Statement of Information letter · Certificate of Status, $5 · labor law posters, free
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Questions people ask
How do I know if a trademark letter is really from the USPTO?
Check TSDR. The USPTO says official communications, including letters asking for payment, are always uploaded to TSDR under the documents tab, and if it's not in TSDR, it's not an official communication. Real USPTO emails end in @uspto.gov.
Is 'Trademark Renewal Service' the USPTO?
No. The USPTO says any variation on its name is not part of the USPTO, and it gives "Patent and Trademark Bureau" and "Trademark Renewal Service" as examples.
Does the USPTO ask for payment by phone, email or text?
No. The USPTO says its employees will never ask for your personal or payment information by phone, email or text, and it doesn't require payment by wire transfer, gift cards, cash, check or money order to third-party addresses.
What is the USPTO phone number to check a trademark email?
The Trademark Assistance Center, 1-800-786-9199, if your application hasn't been assigned to an examining attorney yet. If you have a recent office action in TSDR, call the number in its signature block.
Where do I report a USPTO trademark scam?
The USPTO asks you to report spoofed websites to TMScams@uspto.gov, and to write the same address if your signature shows up on a trademark filing you didn't sign.
Should I give my USPTO.gov password to the company filing for me?
No. The USPTO says never to share it, even with someone who helps you file; an attorney who represents you must have their own USPTO.gov account.
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