MADISON, CONN., Feb. 11, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A company calling itself “Patent & Trademark Office” is violating the FTC’s Impersonation Rule as well as the FTC Act by falsely posing as the United States Patent and Trademark Office, according to a recent investigation by consumer advocacy organization truthinadvertising.org (TINA.org).
The ad watchdog found that the Washington state-based company pairs publicly available information with false claims about expiration status and renewal deadlines in mailers it sends U.S. trademark owners warning of impending cancellation if they don’t pay up. The letters look like official government correspondence and do not adequately disclose that the sender is a private company and not part of the U.S. government.
Moreover, the mailers demand fees in excess of $1,000 to avoid trademark cancellation -- far more than what actual government filings cost. With over 3 million active trademark registrations in the U.S., even a low yield of trademark owners receiving these mailers and paying this imposter could be lucrative.
“Attempting to trick small business owners into handing over their hard-earned dollars by falsely posing as the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is not only exploitative, it’s against the law,” said TINA.org Executive Director Bonnie Patten.
The FTC’s Impersonation Rule went into effect in 2024. At the time, the agency reported that scams impersonating well-known businesses and government agencies were consistently among the top frauds resulting in $1.1 billion in reported losses in 2023. TINA.org filed a comment in support of the proposed rule in 2022.
Read more about TINA.org’s investigation into the Patent & Trademark Office imposter scheme.
About TINA.org (truthinadvertising.org)
TINA.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to stopping false, deceptive and unfair marketing practices through investigative journalism, consumer education and legal advocacy.
Shana Mueller truthinadvertising.org 203-421-6210 smueller@truthinadvertising.org
