We have recently heard from several businesses about unsolicited emails from entities claiming to be law firms or intellectual property (IP) attorneys. These may include emails from:
- NRH Legal Services
- Ormand Law
These emails claim that a third party has enquired about registering their business name as a trade mark. The email then urges the recipient to respond and secure their IP rights before the third-party filing proceeds.
If you have received this email, or any other unsolicited communication about your IP protection, do not engage with the sender. This is especially important if the email is pressuring you to respond quickly or take any other action.
The entity may:
- claim that an applicant intends to register your business name as a trade mark
- ask you to respond to the email within a short period of time
- ask you to complete a trade mark application form using a website outside of IPONZ’s case management facility
- send you false documentation or correspondence purporting to be from IPONZ
- ask you to make payment using a non-secure website that is not affiliated with IPONZ.
Example of unsolicited email communication [PDF, 104 KB]
Example of false IPONZ correspondence [PDF, 363 KB]
If you have replied to these emails or made any payments:
- Please contact us via email at mail@iponz.govt.nz so that we can see if any trade mark applications have been filed under your ownership.
- We recommend you contact your bank or credit card company as soon as possible to discuss these payments and protect your accounts.
If you have any doubts about a communication you have received, you can contact us via email to mail@iponz.govt.nz or your IP professional to verify its authenticity.
The Consumer Protection website also provides information on how to recognise, avoid and report scams from unsolicited communications.
Scamwatch — Consumer Protection