Beware of Misleading Payment Requests

There has been a growing trend of unscrupulous parties sending misleading payment requests to applicants for trademark registrations and other intellectual property rights. In some cases, such letters have been delivered to applicants’ homes as little as two weeks after filing a trademark application.

More information on these deceptive payment requests is available here (in Icelandic only), including a list of known entities that have attempted to mislead rights holders by requesting misleading payments.

These requests can easily be confused with legitimate invoices issued by the Icelandic Intellectual Property Office or international IP authorities. Unfortunately, some individuals have mistakenly paid these fraudulent demands.

The Icelandic Intellectual Property Office emphasizes that these requests are in no way associated with the Office. There is no need to pay them, neither to secure rights in Iceland nor abroad. Only official intellectual property offices and authorized representatives of rights holders are entitled to request payment for registrations.

Application and renewal fees for patents, trademarks, and design registrations in Iceland must only be paid directly to the Icelandic Intellectual Property Office. Fees for international applications must be paid either to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) or, in some cases, through the Icelandic Intellectual Property Office. Fees for European patent applications must only be paid to the European Patent Office (EPO). If a European patent has been validated in Iceland, maintenance fees are paid to the Icelandic Intellectual Property Office. Application and renewal fees for EU trademarks and designs must be paid exclusively to the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).