Be aware of fake invoices

Dangerous fake invoices remain, even with all the actions taken against it, an obstinate issue. NLO has received warnings about fake invoices that are currently being sent out to owners of IP. We want to warn you for this. Always contact your NLO contact person in case you have doubts about the authenticity of an invoice.

For quite some time now fake invoices have been sent out to cheat holders of intellectual property rights out of their money. Should you receive an invoice for maintaining your patent, trademark or design registration, please verify whether the invoice has indeed been sent out by an official authority.

Please remember, only NLO invoices can be expected if your case is subjected to NLO – not from official bodies.

Several companies have been sending invoices for the entry of patent, trademark or design registration in a non-existing or non-official register. These companies operate under names that may sound like government bodies. Examples include World Bureau Intellectual Property, International Bureau for Intellectual Property, International Register for Trademark and Patent. Should you receive a reminder for the renewal of your registration, we kindly advise you to verify whether the reminder has actually been sent by the official authority. Unfortunately these invoices look almost the same as a reliable invoice. You can think about the use of QR codes and barcodes. Please visit the websites of EPO and WIPO for some examples.

Verify your invoices

In case of any doubt please make sure to contact us. We are always willing to verify invoices you have received. Please contact your NLO/NLO Shieldmark contact person.