Dear Valued Clients & Colleagues
Last month we contacted our Australian trade mark clients regarding fraudulent emails currently circulating, which are specifically targeting trade mark rights holders.
These scam emails appear to be sent by registered patent and/or trade mark attorneys and typically claim to offer assistance in protecting your intellectual property rights from a purported third-party attempt to infringe upon them. The content of these emails is often misleading, containing incorrect information that could cause confusion.
In a new development, IP Australia issued the following statement on 12th March 2025.
“IP Australia is aware that some trade mark customers had their address for service details changed without their consent. Our top priority is to safeguard our data and protect IP Rights holders. We have taken immediate action to freeze automatic updates for address for service in our online system and have reported this malicious activity to relevant authorities. Changing the address for service does not affect ownership or status of the trade mark. We are working with impacted customers and the IP Attorney Profession to correctly update all details in our system. If you notice an unexpected change of address for service, or any other suspicious activity related to your IP Rights please contact us on 1300 651 010.”
We strongly encourage you to remain vigilant and be cautious of any suspicious emails. If you receive such an email, please do not engage with the sender. Instead, feel free to forward any concerning messages to your Wrays contact for further clarification or email us at wrays@wrays.com.au.
Further information about these scams, including an example of what they may look like and tips on how to stay safe, is available on the IP Australia website and can be viewed here: Scams related to managing IP rights.
Your attention to this matter is greatly appreciated, and we are here to assist should you have any questions.