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Thursday, October 23, 2025

Advisory to Intellectual Property Right Holders — Misleading Payment Requests

The Hellenic Industrial Property Organisation (OBI) informs citizens and businesses about the increasing occurrence of misleading payment requests sent by third parties who falsely claim to represent official Intellectual Property (IP) authorities.

These requests usually appear as invoices or messages and are designed to resemble official correspondence, aiming to deceive recipients into making payments for:
• Services that have not been requested or are not provided
• Registrations in unofficial databases
Renewals or filings that are not required
• Fake procedures related to IP rights protection

Holders of IP rights are strongly advised to be particularly cautious and to verify the authenticity of any payment request they receive.  OBI and official IP authorities do not send payment requests through third parties or unauthorized organizations.

In case of doubt or suspicious communication, please contact OBI immediately for verification.

Informative leaflet (Greek)

More: https://www.euipo.europa.eu/el/trade-marks/after-applying/misleading-invoices