Protecting Your Information When Filing a Trademark

Protecting Your Information When Filing a Trademark

Filing a trademark can expose your contact details to the public. That's not a bug — trademark systems are built on transparency. The problem is that scammers and spammers use that public information to target owners with phishing emails, fake invoices, and "urgent" payment demands.

The goal isn’t to “hide everything” (you can’t). The goal is to control what you share, secure the accounts tied to your trademark, and stop bad actors from turning public data into a payment or identity problem.

1) Know What Becomes Public (and Plan for It)

In many jurisdictions, trademark applications and related documents are publicly accessible online, and anything you submit can become part of the record.

Why it matters: once your email/address is on record, it can be harvested and reused by third parties (and search engines) even if the original office can’t remove it from external sites.

2) Reduce exposure before you file

Use an address strategy (don’t casually publish your home address)

A common mistake is putting a residential address everywhere “just to get the form done.”

For example, the USPTO requires a domicile address, but explains you can keep it out of the public record by using a different (accurate) mailing address — the mailing address shows publicly, the domicile address doesn’t.

Practical options (depending on your situation and local rules):

• •A business address (office)
• •A valid mailing address that is not your residence
• •An attorney/agent correspondence address (where permitted)

What not to do: repeat your domicile/home address in other parts of the form or attachments — if you include it elsewhere, it may become publicly visible.

Use a dedicated trademark email (not your personal inbox)

This is one of the highest-ROI steps you can take.

Some offices require you to provide and maintain an email address, and in the USPTO’s case it warns that email addresses become part of the public record — so it recommends using a dedicated email if you don’t want your personal email exposed.

Good setup:

• •trademarks@yourdomain.com (role-based, not tied to one person)
• •Forward to 1–2 trusted people
• •MFA turned on
• •Strong password stored in a password manager

Bad setup:

• •A personal email you’ve used for years (easier to target, easier to social-engineer)
• •An inbox no one monitors (you miss real deadlines)

Don’t provide a phone number unless you actually want it public

Some systems don’t require a phone number. The USPTO explicitly notes phone numbers aren’t required and if you don’t want it public, you can leave it out.

3) Never upload sensitive identifiers (and fix it fast if you did)

A lot of information should never appear in trademark filings — even if someone asks for it.

The USPTO lists examples of sensitive info that can be removed/redacted if mistakenly submitted (e.g., passports, driver’s license numbers, Social Security numbers, bank card/account info) and says you should not provide that information in the first place.

Hard rule for your team:
If an email/letter asks for ID documents, banking details, or “verification” via sensitive personal info — treat it as suspicious and verify through official channels.

4) Treat every trademark email as a phishing attempt until verified

Scammers don’t need to guess your details. They often copy your trademark number, filing date, and owner name directly from public databases to make messages look official.

How to verify without getting tricked

Do not click links in unexpected emails. Instead:

1. Open the official trademark office portal yourself (type it in or use a saved bookmark).
2. Find your case and check the document/communications tab.
3. Only trust notices that match what’s in the official record.

Example: the USPTO advises checking TSDR because outgoing USPTO communications are shown there, and if it’s not in your file (with limited exceptions), it isn’t from the USPTO.

Also note: the USPTO warns that scammers can spoof the appearance of an official @uspto.gov email (so the “from” line alone isn’t proof).

5) Protect your accounts and logins (this is where real damage happens)

A scam invoice is annoying. An account takeover is worse.

The USPTO warns you should never share your USPTO.gov account password — even with someone “helping” you file — because it can be used to file actions you didn’t authorize and can even lead to account suspension.

Apply that principle everywhere:

• •Marko / filing platform login
• •Trademark office portal login
• •Email inbox used for trademark correspondence

Minimum security baseline

• •MFA on everything
• •Unique passwords (no reuse)
• •Role-based access: don’t let “everyone” use one shared login
• •Remove access immediately when someone leaves your company

6) Lock down payments and invoices (scammers love finance teams)

Many “trademark notices” are just payment traps.

The USPTO states its employees will not request your personal/payment info by phone/email/text and warns it doesn’t require payment via wire transfer, gift cards, cash, or third-party payment addresses.

WIPO also warns about private entities sending misleading “publication/directory” invoices and states these activities have no legal effect under the Madrid System; official fees are payable to WIPO in Swiss francs (CHF) or through the Office of Origin.

Internal payment controls that prevent most losses

• •No one pays a “trademark invoice” without legal/IP review
• •Vendor validation: pay only through known official portals or your authorized provider
• •Two-person approval for any trademark-related payment
• •If the payment method changes (new bank details), treat as fraud until verified

7) Expect scam invoices after filing (because your data is searchable)

IP Australia notes that entities sending unofficial invoices access owner details via publicly accessible information, and that these invoices often use false renewal dates and inflated costs.

The UK IPO similarly explains misleading invoices are unsolicited/fraudulent invoices from organisations not associated with the IPO, often offering costly “publication” or “protection” services, and it advises people not to pay and to forward suspicious invoices for review.

Quick table: what to share vs safer alternatives

Information type Why it’s risky Safer approach Home address Can become publicly visible; increases targeted scams Use a business/correspondence mailing address where allowed; keep domicile separate where the system supports it Personal email Can be harvested and spammed; phishing target Create a dedicated trademark email address and enable MFA Phone number More scam calls + social engineering Provide only if required (or you’re comfortable with it being public) IDs / banking details Identity theft and direct fraud risk Never include in filings; request removal if accidentally submitted Account passwords Enables account takeover and unauthorized filings Never share; each authorized user should have their own access

What to do if you think your information was used (or you paid)

If you clicked a link / entered credentials

• •Change the password immediately (and anywhere you reused it).
• •Enable MFA if it wasn’t already on.
• •Check your trademark record for unauthorized changes.

If you paid a scammer

• •Contact your bank/card provider immediately (chargeback/recall options).
• •Preserve evidence (emails, PDFs, payment receipts, headers).
• •Report to the relevant office (examples below).

WIPO provides a reporting form for suspected scams and advises contacting your bank/local authorities if you’ve been scammed; it also states it will never solicit payment by telephone.

The UK IPO advises forwarding suspicious invoices to its reporting email and not paying.

FAQ

Can I keep my address private when filing a trademark?

Sometimes you can reduce what’s visible publicly. For example, the USPTO explains you can keep your domicile address out of the public record if you provide a different (accurate) mailing address, and you avoid repeating your domicile address elsewhere in the submission.

Will my trademark email be public?

In some systems, yes. The USPTO states email addresses become part of the public record and suggests creating a dedicated email specifically for your application/registration.

How do I know if a notice is real?

Verify it in the official case record/portal. Example: the USPTO recommends checking TSDR because official outgoing communications appear there (with limited exceptions).

What if someone asks me to pay for “international publication” or a directory listing?

Be skeptical. WIPO warns those “publication/directory” invoices can have no legal effect under the Madrid System and explains where official Madrid fees are actually paid.