At a time when most request are carried out electronically, pay particular attention to the emails you receive regarding your trademark, patent or design applications or registrations.
INPI alerts applicants to requests for payments made by entities that have no relationship with the institute. These payments have no value for Industrial Property protection.
INPI often receives complaints from people who apply for the registration of trademarks, patents and designs and who are then notified by letter that they need to pay fees allegedly related to the applications to the Institute.
These letters are sent after applications for trademark, patent and design protection have been published in the Industrial Property Bulletin.
The correspondence refers to the application number, as well as the name of the applicant and the address.
The indication of these data may mislead the applicant and cause him to make a payment that has nothing to do with the application made to the INPI.
Please be aware that:
- INPI is the only entity with competence to grant and manage Industrial Property Rights in Portugal;
- Notices issued by the INPI are clearly identified as such, and will be sent from an address (no reply) specifically created for this purpose;
- INPI never requests by email the transfer of amounts to a specific account or IBAN;
- Payments requested by the INPI are always made using an ATM reference, which appears as soon as the act of settling any fee is completed. User has a period of three consecutive days to make the payment;
If in doubt, do not make any payment without first consulting our service line, through:
- By phone: (00351) 218 818 188
- By email: servico.publico@inpi.pt
If you have received a letter from these or made payment of a fee referred to in that correspondence, contact the Polícia Judiciária (Police).
This is a problem that cuts across many Industrial Property organizations. You can find more information, at European and global level, on the following websites:
Please consult the Procedure manual on handling misleading payment requests for intellectual property system users (EUIPO/EUROPOL)
INPI measures to fight illegal payment requests
To alert applicants to these situations and to avoid this practice, INPI has implemented a series of measures, such as:
- the publication of alerts on the INPI website, either for information purposes or when applicants make online payment of application fees for registration or renewal of registrations;
- the re-routing of complaints submitted by users of the Industrial Property system to the Polícia Judiciária (Police);
- the clarification, through INPI´s telephone and in-person services, of the doubts presented by the users regarding these letters and payments;
- the request from the European Association of Brand Holders for Portugal to be included in the list of countries receiving such correspondence.
INPI will continue to follow this practice closely and take steps to ensure the trust of those who apply for trademarks, patents and designs and ensure the proper functioning of the Industrial Property system.
See below for some examples of letters requesting payment of fees that are not related to trademark, patent, and design applications made to INPI.
