If you run a business, own a domain name, or operate a website, chances are you’ve received one of these emails. The subject line is urgent. The language sounds legal. The consequences sound terrifying.
This one starts with: “Immediate Action Required – Trademark Filing Priority for your Business.”
It looks official. It is not.
This email is a trademark scam, and it’s part of a much larger pattern that has been targeting business owners for years.
A Trademark Scam Email, Explained Line by Line
If you run a business or own a domain name, you will eventually receive an email claiming your trademark is under immediate threat.
The message below is a perfect example. It looks official. It sounds urgent. It uses legal language. And it is entirely misleading.
This is a trademark scam.
The Actual Email Text
Hello,
We’re contacting you regarding an urgent trademark situation involving Your Business Name.
Another party is attempting to register this name with the USPTO. However, they are a recently formed entity with minimal usage history.
Our investigation confirms that you are the rightful prior user, giving you legal grounds to claim ownership. As a matter of protocol, we are giving you the first and only opportunity to file this trademark before we are legally required to proceed with the competing party.
You Have Two Options:
Secure your rights immediately: We will file today and block the other party’s attempt.
Decline to act: We will proceed with the opposing applicant, which may permanently strip you of legal rights to your own brand.
If the other party secures the trademark, you could be legally forced to stop using the name.
Under the Lanham Act, this opens the door to cease-and-desist actions, lawsuits, penalties, and serious business disruption.
This is not a theoretical risk. This is happening now. The USPTO does not pause filings. If we don’t receive confirmation from you today, we move forward with the other party.
Reply to this email or call us at (323) 969-4516 before this opportunity closes.
Best regards,
Alex Morgan
Senior Paralegal Officer | Trademark Protect
Why This Email Is a Scam
“Urgent trademark situation involving Your Business Name”
The email never identifies a specific business name, trademark, or brand.
This is intentional. A legitimate trademark notice would clearly identify the mark, the filing party, or at least the name allegedly at risk.
Scam emails stay vague so the same message can be sent to thousands of recipients.
“Another party is attempting to register this name with the USPTO”
No evidence is provided. No application number. No filing date. No name of the applicant.
The sender has no way of knowing whether a filing exists for your business unless they have already been retained by you. This claim is designed to create fear, not inform.
“Our investigation confirms that you are the rightful prior user”
This is a particularly deceptive line.
They have not conducted an investigation. They do not know when or how you use your business name. Prior use is a fact-specific legal determination, not something decided by a cold email.
This language is meant to flatter you and lower your defenses.
“We are giving you the first and only opportunity”
There is no such protocol.
No trademark service provider is “legally required” to proceed with another party if you decline. That is not how the USPTO works, and that is not how trademark law works.
This is manufactured urgency.
“We will file today and block the other party’s attempt”
Filing a trademark does not “block” another application automatically.
Trademark rights are not granted on demand, and filings are routinely examined, rejected, or opposed. This statement grossly oversimplifies the process to make it sound like a one-click solution.
“Permanently strip you of legal rights to your own brand”
This is fear-based exaggeration.
Trademark rights in the United States are primarily based on use, not filing date alone. Even if another party files, it does not instantly erase your rights.
“Under the Lanham Act…”
Scam emails frequently reference the Lanham Act to sound authoritative.
While the Lanham Act governs trademark law, citing it in this context is meaningless. It does not create instant lawsuits, penalties, or forced shutdowns because someone else filed paperwork.
“If we don’t receive confirmation from you today”
Deadlines imposed by strangers are a classic scam tactic.
The USPTO does not operate on surprise, same-day ultimatums sent by third-party email marketers.
“Reply to this email or call us at (323) 969-4516”
This is the real goal.
If you call or reply, you will be pitched trademark filing services. You are not stopping another party. You are being sold a filing service.
In many cases, these applications are poorly prepared and ultimately denied, while the scammer keeps your money.
A Broader, Ongoing Problem
This email is not an isolated incident.
There are hundreds of fake or misleading trademark filing services operating under different names. They rotate domains, reuse templates, and present themselves as paralegals or legal officers.
The domain name used to send the email often does not match the company name in the signature, another common red flag.
What You Should Do If You Receive One of These Emails
- Do not reply
- Do not call the phone number
- Do not click any links
- Mark the email as spam
There is no action you need to take, and no rights you are about to lose because of an unsolicited email.
How to Protect Your Business the Right Way
You should always register the domain name for your business name, brand name, and any products you use or plan to use. Domain ownership is often your first line of defense.
If you are considering trademark registration, speak with a legitimate, qualified trademark attorney. A real attorney will explain whether a trademark makes sense, perform proper searches, and file correctly if appropriate.
Urgent emails from unknown senders are not trademark protection. They are sales tactics.
When it comes to your brand, informed decisions beat panic every time.