Safeguarding the trademark community against fraud with identity verification
Blog by Kathi Vidal, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the USPTO, and David Gooder, Commissioner for Trademarks at the USPTO
Most folks in the trademark community know these names and the havoc they’ve wreaked on legitimate filers, scamming some out of tens of thousands of dollars or hijacking identities to file fraudulent submissions to disadvantage competitors. Their unscrupulous business operations are among the primary reasons why, starting August 6, 2022, the USPTO is taking the important and necessary step of requiring all trademark filers to verify their identities as a condition for filing electronic trademark forms. This initiative, which includes options for both paper and automated identification verification, is key to our comprehensive strategy to protect our trademark customers and the integrity of our trademark register.
Initially a voluntary option, our identity verification program started in January 2022 to better serve our legitimate customers and help prevent bad actors from violating our USPTO Rules of Practice and website terms of use. Since 2016, we have seen significant increases in fraudulent trademark filings, as well as in the number of foreign scammers from China, Pakistan, and elsewhere outside the U.S. These scammers fraudulently file improper submissions that include false signatures, false addresses, false claims of use required...
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