he Hungarian Intellectual Property Office (hereinafter referred to as HIPO) informs you that certain companies send applicants and right holders in Hungary unsolicited “notices” for payment of fees related to patent and trade mark applications as well as renewals of trade mark registrations – making the notices seem to be official invoices or sending them in any another misleading way. The letters appear to be official invoices related to patent or trade mark applications, or other kind of requests. Most of the time it only turns out from the small print in the letter or not even from that that the company offers entry into databases, this is what they call “publication”, in return for the amount paid. In many cases not even the content itself of the service is revealed unambiguously from the letter.
In the event that you should receive not from your own representative a letter containing request for payment, please check, by all means, the source and content thereof, in addition, the features of the service offered. If the letter gives the appearance of a service offering representation in an industrial property procedure, please also make sure that the person concerned is indeed entitled to proceed as professional representative (attorney-at-law, patent attorney).
It is particularly advisable to check the purpose of the amount invoiced and the bank account number given in the letter.
HIPO does not have any contacts with companies that send misleading requests for payment to applicants and trade mark owners. Some examples of these misleading companies:
- Patent & Trademark Protection
- European Intellectual Property Services
- EUIPA - EUROPEAN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AGENCY
- TM REGISTER
- INT-TRADEMARKS
- WIPI - World Intellectual Property Institute Kft.
- Easy Marca
- WOIP - World Organization Intellectual Property Kft.
Registration Community Trademark Application - International Patent and Trademark Register
- World Patent & Trademark Service
- INDAB GmbH
- Ip Direct
- WOTRA Kft.
- OPT s.r.o.
- TM-Edition Ltd.
- International Trademark Publication Register
- International Trademark Register
- TPR - European Trademark Publication Register
- WIPP - World Intellectual Property Publisher
- RPT Servis
- IP Data
- International Patent & Trademark Organization
- Universal Patents and Trademarks Service
- European Patent and Trademark Register
- TM Publisher GmbH
- Intellectual Property Agency
- WDTP - Worldwide Database of Trademarks and Patents
- European Trademark Organisation S.A.
- WPTI - World Patent and Trademark Index
- Patent Trademark Register
- IOPR - Intellectual Office Property Register
- IPTD - International Patents & Trademarks Database
- WBIP - World Bureau Intellectual Property
- EIEC - European Institute for Economy and Commerce
- IBIP - International Bureau for Intellectual Property
- CRPT - Central Register for Patents and Trademarks
- WIPT World Patents Trademarks
HIPO draws the attention to the fact that the services offered by these companies do not effect in any way the industrial property official procedures carried out by its staff, the establishment, modification or revocation of exclusive rights deriving from trade mark protection. Offering “publication” of trade marks or other similar services of “renewal” is absolutely irrelevant with regard to European Union trade mark protection in Hungary.
Should you have any doubt about a letter, please turn to HIPO’s Client Service at the following contact details: sztnh [169] hipo [961] gov [961] hu; telephone: +36 1 474 58 61 or 06 80 345 678; telefax: +36 1 474 55 34.
Prior to the renewal of trade mark protection, HIPO shall send a notice to the right holder or the representative. The renewal fee can be paid by the cash transfer order sent by HIPO or by bank transfer. The fee shall be paid to HIPO’s appropriation allocation fund account managed by the Hungarian State Treasury. HIPO does not send invoices to applicants or right holders.
With regard to databases, HIPO emphasizes the fact that it maintains a free of charge, electronic and searchable register covering all titles of industrial property, which contains the full particulars of each industrial property protection.
The database is available at the following link:
http://epub.hpo.hu/e-kutatas/?lang=HU
HIPO wishes to inform you that similar warnings of misleading requests for payment of fees – illustrated with examples – are available at the websites of the European Union Intellectual Property Office, the World Intellectual Property Organization, the European Patent Office and several national offices:
https://euipo.europa.eu/ohimportal/en/misleading-invoices
http://www.wipo.int/pct/en/warning/pct_warning.htm
http://www.epo.org/applying/forms-fees.html (on the lending page go to: > Warning)
https://www.dpma.de/english/services/fees/warning_against_misleading_req...
http://www.ipo.gov.uk/warning.htmhttps://www.inpi.fr/sites/default/files/avertissement_3.pdf
CRPT
Easy Marca
EPTP
EPTR_1
EUIPA
European Intellectual Property Services
European_Trademark_Organisation_2
IBIP
INDAB GmbH
INT-TRADEMARKS
IOIP SBERBANK
IOPR
IP Data
IP Direct
IPTD_2
IPTO
IPTR
IPTS
ITMREG
ITMREG_2
OPT
Patent_Trademark_Register_2
RPT Servis
TM-Edition Ltd.
TM_Publisher
TM_Publisher_2
TM_Publisher_3
TM_Publisher_4
TM_Publisher_5
TM_Publisher_6
TM_Publisher_7
TM REGISTER
TPR
UPTS
WBIP
WBIP_2
WDTP_2
WDTP
WIPI
WIPO
WIPP
WPTI
WPTS
WOIP
WOIP
WOTRA