Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (Oficina Española de Patentes y Marcas)

The Spanish Patent and Trademark Office hereby responds to the enquiries it has been receiving from various trademark holders and applicants regarding a letter/payment request issued by various companies, requesting payment for including these trademarks in Protected Trademark Registers and Publications. Recipients of these letters appear to be under the impression that this letter is in some way connected to the SPTO and corresponds to a payment for registration, renewal or publication for maintenance of their trademark.

The Spanish Patent and Trademark Office issues the following statement:

1. The entity responsible for protecting and registering trademarks in Spain is the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (SPTO).
2. Any communication from the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office is always properly identified with the institution's emblem, the name of the Ministerial Department it is attached to (ministry of industry, trade and tourism) and with the logo and official denomination of the SPTO.
3. There is no link between the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office and these companies, so any payment made to these associations will not be recognised by the SPTO and will not involve any additional protection to that granted from being registered with the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office.
4. Affected parties should carefully study any documents that have been sent to them before making payment, in order to ensure they are contracting products or services that are of benefit to them.