TMP – bogus letter

Trademark Publisher requests $1450

I had a few clients contact me this week about an “official” looking invoice/letter from TMP (Trademark Publisher) requesting money to publish their trademark.  If you have a registered trademark, it’s likely you’ve receive one of these letters requesting $1450 – even though it may look official – ignore it and preferably throw it in the bin! Unless the notice is from IP Australia or from your trade mark lawyer/attorney ignore it! Your trade mark information is publicly available for all to see.

Other names to look out for

Companies reported to have disseminated deceptive communications in the past to trade mark owners (as reported on the IP Australia website) include:

* TMP, Trade Mark Publishers, Austria but with a street address in Sydney
* Commercial Centre for Industry and Trade (based in Switzerland)
* Company for Economic Publications Ltd (based in Austria)
* Company for Publications and Information Anstalt (based in Liechtenstein)
* Edition The Marks KFT
* European Institute for Economy and Commerce – EIEC (based in Belgium)
* Globus Edition SL (based in Spain)
* INFOCOM (based in Switzerland)
* Institute of Commerce, Trade and Commerce (based in Switzerland)
* IT & TAG (based in Switzerland)
* TM Collection (based in Hungary)
* ZDR-Datenregister GmbH (based in Germany)
* I.B.F.T.P.R – International Bureau for Federated Trademark & Patent Register
* RIPT – Register of International Patents and Trademarks
* Gaia Almanach LTD
* International Patent and Trademark Register based in Nurnberg, Germany

It’s actually amazing how many businesses have fallen for this “official” looking notice and paid the account.  I guess that’s why they continue to send these letters – it’s a lucrative business! This particular invoice from TMP appears to be from an Austrian organisation, it requests you send a cheque (in a pre-addressed envelope) to its virtual Sydney office address or transfer money into its Commonwealth Bank Account.

Magnum IP has filed an official complaint to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.