The Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) is aware of an active email scam operating in North America, where members of the public are being targeted in phishing attempts by individuals posing as intellectual property attorneys, pressuring business owners to take action against potential trademark infringement.
At this time, we are not aware of any direct effects to CIPO services.
If you're suspicious about correspondence that you have received from CIPO, make sure it's legitimate by consulting our advice on common scams related to patents or trademarks.
We are collaborating with the College of Patent Agents and Trademark Agents (CPATA) and the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada to build awareness about this scam.
Trademark holders should inform themselves about this scam by consulting CPATA's public advisory as some emails have fraudulently used the name of a registered agent.
CPATA takes concerns about unauthorized practice and fraudulent activity seriously. Anyone who believes that someone is misrepresenting themselves as an agent or is acting in nefarious, fraudulent ways for profit should notify CPATA by filling in the form on its website.
We will keep you informed of any updates.