We already reported in July 2022 that the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA) had received an increasing number of reports of fake requests for payment concerning invoices for trade mark matters.

You may be able to recognise fake requests for payment by a foreign bank account, a pre-filled remittance slip or general terms and conditions printed on the back.

We have now been informed of cases in which the sender name of the DPMA and the signature in the name of the office head (Vice-President/Head of the Directorate General/Head of the Directorate General Information) or high-ranking staff have been forged and sent to numerous trade mark applicants by e-mail with a forged document attached.

The DPMA expressly points out that these e-mails have no connection with their authority. The DPMA does not send invoices or requests for payment, neither for the application or renewal of IP rights nor for their publication in the official registers. Moreover, the DPMA does not send official letters by e-mail.

Please do not respond to such requests for payment. If you have appointed a patent attorney as your representative, for example, you will generally not receive any mail or requests for payment directly from the DPMA or other offices. In case of doubt, please contact us.

Further information on misleading requests for payment and on the official fees is available on the DPMA website: https://www.dpma.de/english/services/fees/warning_against_misleading_requests/index.html