Trademarks have often been a source for those with more nepahrious intent to gain access to individual’s personal information, this in part because the registration of a trademark includes publicly searchable information. We have recently been contacted by clients with serious questions regarding emails which are actually scams under the guise of relating to protecting trademark rights, possible trademark infringment and/or the urgent need to act or risk losing rights to your own business name. These clients and many others were sent official-sounding emails suggesting there some urgency with a potential trademark issue related to their business name or tag line.
These are phishing emails. The Canadian College of Patent Agents & Trademark Agents issued a notice on November 4, 2024 which provides examples of the phishing emails.
Trademarking can be a valuable tool in protecting your business and one which is often overlooked by business owners, in part because of the reasonably long lead times to obtain a trademark. If you have wondered about how you might better protect your business name and branding, including using a trademark to assist your business, don’t hesitate to contact us for a chat on some specifics.