February 2018. We’ve got used to them now, haven’t we? Soon after a new trademark is registered, the proud owner receives an official-looking bill for roughly € 2,000 in order to get it included in some register or other. Those who cough up simply waste their money.

Content hijacked too

One company – GloTrade – has recently been pushing its luck further than most in this murky market. Not only is it defrauding trademark owners with scam invoices to the tune of USD 2,890, it’s also publishing articles on its own website www.glotrade.world which have been hijacked from other sites without crediting the source.

Logo stolen

And it doesn’t stop there: GloTrade also appears to have stolen its logo from another company, SoloTech Fun. All these misdemeanours came to light following an investigation by the magazine WorldTrademarkReview.

Some of the companies behind the fake invoices

8% fall for the scam

Research has shown that around 8% of companies receiving these fake invoices fall for the scam and pay up. Which is easy money for fraudsters like GloTrade. On the other hand, things don’t always work out for the swindlers. A few weeks ago, two men were jailed in Sweden for a similar crime.

Bas Kist