Check a trademark-service mailing

A letter that cites your trademark and a deadline does not prove you owe anything. The USPTO warns that trademark records can be used in deceptive solicitations. Official USPTO communications are available in its Trademark Status and Document Retrieval system, so check that record before you respond or pay.

By Junk Mail Magic. Updated October 2, 2026.

Compare the letter with the record

Write down the sender, the fee requested, the service offered and the deadline it claims. Keep the original envelope and pages unchanged.
Find the serial or registration number in the mailing. Open the USPTO site by typing the address yourself, not by using a link, phone number or reply form printed on the letter, and look up that number in Trademark Status and Document Retrieval.
Check whether the USPTO record contains a communication that matches the letter's claim. Note anything the letter asks for that you cannot find there.
If an attorney or filing service already handles your mark, send them your notes and ask whether the claim matches a real filing requirement. Wait for their answer before paying the sender.

Reading the result

If the record holds a matching communication, follow the instructions in that record or from your counsel, not the instructions in the mailing. If nothing matches, the letter may be a private company offering a service you never requested. Base your decision on its wording and fee. Its appearance alone does not show who sent it or why.

This page does not give trademark legal advice. Questions about maintenance filings or deadlines belong with your counsel or the USPTO's current instructions.

Private worksheet

Example for your own use. Replace the bracketed details and review what you share.

Sender name and address as printed: [sender name and address] Date on mailing: [date] Trademark serial or registration number cited: [number] Fee and deadline claimed: [amount] by [date] Service offered: [service description] USPTO record checked on: [date] Matching official communication found: [yes / no / unsure] Counsel or filing agent asked: [name], [date], answer: [answer] Original mailing stored at: [location]

If the claim does not match

File the worksheet with your trademark records so a later letter can be checked the same way. If you decide to report the mailing, USPIS accepts reports of suspected mail fraud. Keep the original pages available for that report.

Official sources

Check an advertisement formatted as an invoice Check an advertisement marked final notice Verify a number printed on unfamiliar mail Choose between mail-fraud and delivery support routes Suspicious mail All practical mail guides

Keep personal records with the organization that handles them

Junk Mail Magic is for ordinary unwanted advertising. Use the official contact route in this guide for records, account changes or someone else’s correspondence.

Compare removal routes