IP information
To all domain name and trade mark owners
By John Rule.
We have been made aware of a new method of scam which has recently emerged. This new development in fraudulent offers to register domain names is different in that approaches are made to owners of trade marks or domain names in the UK, by telephone rather than by email or letter.
The caller claims to be a domain name registrar who is in the process of registering one or more domain names on behalf of a third party which has requested domain names similar to trade marks, domain names or trading names owned by the person or company called. They may also claim that they are obliged to inform the person called about this, since it is a “trading name” and they will then offer the “victim” the opportunity to register a series of domain names, purportedly to prevent the third party from acquiring them.
These callers can be very convincing and since a victim has to quickly review verbal information, it is harder to establish whether or not the call is fraudulent. It is easier to convey an impression of urgency by telephone than by letter or email and the person being called is therefore more likely to believe that they are under threat and to agree to buy domain name registrations. Previous email scams have been a little easier to detect because the addressee has the time to absorb and check the information being given, or forward it to their IP advisors to do so.
Rights owners should therefore be extremely cautious when receiving any unsolicited invoices or requests from unknown third parties to pay money for domain name registrations, particularly in the case of approaches made by telephone which should be treated even more warily.
This news item may contain information of general interest about current legal issues, but does not contain legal advice.
This news item may contain information of general interest about current legal issues, but does not contain legal advice.