{"id":7942,"date":"2025-09-18T15:30:41","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T03:30:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/?p=7942"},"modified":"2025-10-02T13:36:01","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T00:36:01","slug":"possible-trade-mark-scam-alert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/possible-trade-mark-scam-alert\/","title":{"rendered":"Possible trade mark scam alert!"},"content":{"rendered":"

NRH Legal Services Limited<\/strong><\/p>\n

Philip John Muir and John David Paton<\/strong><\/p>\n

A number of our clients have recently received an unsolicited email allegedly from Philip John Muir<\/strong> or John David Paton <\/strong>of NRH Legal Limited <\/strong>trying to secure instructions to register their business name in New Zealand. The full text of the email is set out below.<\/p>\n

The email explains that Mr Muir or Mr Paton has been approached by a third party to register their name, and gives a short deadline to confirm their position and secure their rights before Mr Muir or Mr Paton proceeds with the other applicant\u2019s filing.<\/p>\n

For the following reasons we advise anyone receiving this email to view it with extreme caution<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. We have received an email from Mr Muir* confirming that he has nothing to do with the emails being sent out or their content<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
  2. The identical letter has been sent to a large number of businesses.<\/li>\n
  3. Since Mr Paton* appears to be a lawyer, he has an ethical obligation not to disclose the fact that another party has contacted them to register the business name.<\/li>\n
  4. The letter contains a number of legal and factual errors. In some cases it says the company has no application or registration when it does. It advises New Zealand operates on a first to file basis when it does not.<\/li>\n
  5. NRH Legal Services is a New Zealand Company but neither Mr Muir nor Mr Paton is a director or shareholder of that company.<\/li>\n
  6. The website nrhlegalservices.com<\/a>\n
      \n
    1. was created one month ago and the URL is hidden behind a proxy<\/li>\n
    2. does not identify the people behind it and contains no phone number. The live chat and telephone functions do not work.<\/li>\n
    3. states that NRH Legal Limited has \u201csuccessfully assisted over 980 business owners in securing their trademarks\u201d and has filed over 15,000 trade marks for business nationwide yet there are no trade marks on the New Zealand Register with NRH Legal Limited as an agent<\/li>\n
    4. includes a statement that NRH Legal provides \u201creliable trademark solutions across every US state\u201d when it is directed to filings in New Zealand<\/li>\n
    5. is identical to the website https:\/\/trademarkvigilance.com<\/a> which appears to be an unconnected legitimate US business.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Please contact us if you have received an email allegedly from Philip John Muir<\/strong> or John David Paton <\/strong>or NRH Legal Limited <\/strong>and would like some impartial guidance on how to respond.<\/p>\n

      * The New Zealand Law Society registry of lawyers records that a Philip John Muir, in the Central Auckland Suburbs, does currently hold a practising certificate but does not list a firm against Mr Muir\u2019s name. Similarly, the New Zealand Law Society registry of lawyers records that a John David Paton, on the Hibiscus Coast, currently holds a practising certificate but does not list a firm against Mr Paton\u2019s name. We cannot comment on the validity or accuracy of the Law Society\u2019s records.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      The original email may look like this:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

      Hi [Director\u2019s Name<\/em>],<\/span><\/p>\n

      I am contacting you in relation to your business name [<\/strong>Business Name<\/em>]<\/strong>, Our office has received an inquiry from another applicant who is seeking to register this name as a trademark with the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand (IPONZ).<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

      When our research team conducted a manual search of the IPONZ register, we were unable to locate any trademark application or registration currently filed under your ownership. For that reason, we wanted to reach out to you first to confirm your position.<\/span><\/p>\n

      To clarify:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Are you actively using this business name in commerce in New Zealand<\/strong>?<\/span><\/li>\n
      2. Do you wish to secure ownership rights under your name before the other applicant proceeds?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Please note:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

          \n
        • Under the Trade Marks Act 2002 (NZ)<\/strong>, IPONZ operates on a strict first-to-file<\/strong> basis.<\/span><\/li>\n
        • Prior use may provide some common law rights, but these are limited and more difficult to enforce compared to a registered trademark.<\/span><\/li>\n
        • If the other applicant files and succeeds, they may obtain exclusive nationwide rights for 10 years (renewable),<\/strong> which could restrict your use of the name, force rebranding, or lead to disputes.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          We encourage you to respond within 48 business hours<\/strong> so we can advise you on the appropriate next steps to protect your rights. If we do not hear from you, we may need to inform the inquiring applicant accordingly.<\/span><\/p>\n

          Best regards,<\/span><\/p>\n

          \"\"<\/p>\n

          The original email may be followed by a reminder along the following lines:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

          Hi [Director\u2019s Name<\/em>],<\/span><\/p>\n

          This serves as a final and urgent notice<\/strong> regarding your business name [Business Name<\/em>].<\/span><\/p>\n

          As previously advised, a third party has formally approached our office to register this name as a trademark with the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand (IPONZ<\/strong>). Our search confirms that no trademark application or registration exists under your ownership<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

          Under the Trade Marks Act 2002 (NZ)<\/strong>, IPONZ operates strictly on a first-to-file<\/em><\/strong> basis. If you fail to act immediately, the third party will obtain exclusive nationwide rights for 10 years (renewable)<\/strong>. This would legally entitle them to:<\/span><\/p>\n

            \n
          • Restrict or prohibit your continued use of [Business Name<\/em>].<\/span><\/li>\n
          • Force you into a costly rebrand, including new website, marketing materials, and business documentation;<\/span><\/li>\n
          • Initiate infringement proceedings should you continue use without consent.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            Please note that if you attempt to resolve the matter after the other party secures the registration, you may be required to engage in opposition or cancellation proceedings, which typically cost NZD $25,000\u2013$40,000+<\/strong> in legal fees and can take 12\u201318 months<\/strong> with no guarantee of success.<\/span><\/p>\n

            You are hereby granted a final 24-hour opportunity<\/strong> to confirm your position and secure your rights. If we do not hear from you within this timeframe, we will proceed with the other applicant\u2019s filing. At that stage, your ability to claim ownership will be severely compromised.<\/span><\/p>\n

            This notice is issued as a final warning<\/strong>. Immediate action is required to protect your brand and avoid significant legal and financial consequences.<\/span><\/p>\n

            Best regards,<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            NRH Legal Services Limited Philip John Muir and John David Paton A number of our clients have recently received an unsolicited email allegedly from Philip John Muir or John David Paton of NRH Legal Limited trying to secure instructions to register their business name in New Zealand. The full text of the email is set…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":7943,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[102],"class_list":["post-7942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","insight-resource-ip-updates","insight-resource-media"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPossible trade mark scam alert! - James & Wells<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Scam Alert! Unsolicited trade mark application emails are circulating. Sept 2025.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/possible-trade-mark-scam-alert\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Possible trade mark scam alert! - James & Wells\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Scam Alert! Unsolicited trade mark application emails are circulating. Sept 2025.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/possible-trade-mark-scam-alert\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"James & Wells\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-09-18T03:30:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-02T00:36:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/scam-alert.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"896\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jennifer Mertens\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jennifer Mertens\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/possible-trade-mark-scam-alert\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/possible-trade-mark-scam-alert\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jennifer Mertens\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/#\/schema\/person\/64e4a40a49fe981aaa979bfd660eb636\"},\"headline\":\"Possible trade mark scam alert!\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-18T03:30:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-02T00:36:01+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/possible-trade-mark-scam-alert\/\"},\"wordCount\":974,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/possible-trade-mark-scam-alert\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/scam-alert.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-NZ\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/possible-trade-mark-scam-alert\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/possible-trade-mark-scam-alert\/\",\"name\":\"Possible trade mark scam alert! - James & Wells\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/possible-trade-mark-scam-alert\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/possible-trade-mark-scam-alert\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/scam-alert.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-18T03:30:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-02T00:36:01+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/#\/schema\/person\/64e4a40a49fe981aaa979bfd660eb636\"},\"description\":\"Scam Alert! Unsolicited trade mark application emails are circulating. Sept 2025.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/possible-trade-mark-scam-alert\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-NZ\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/possible-trade-mark-scam-alert\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-NZ\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/possible-trade-mark-scam-alert\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/scam-alert.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/scam-alert.jpg\",\"width\":1600,\"height\":896},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/possible-trade-mark-scam-alert\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Possible trade mark scam alert!\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/\",\"name\":\"James & Wells\",\"description\":\"Excellence in IP\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-NZ\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/#\/schema\/person\/64e4a40a49fe981aaa979bfd660eb636\",\"name\":\"Jennifer Mertens\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Possible trade mark scam alert! - James & Wells","description":"Scam Alert! Unsolicited trade mark application emails are circulating. Sept 2025.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/possible-trade-mark-scam-alert\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Possible trade mark scam alert! - James & Wells","og_description":"Scam Alert! Unsolicited trade mark application emails are circulating. Sept 2025.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/possible-trade-mark-scam-alert\/","og_site_name":"James & Wells","article_published_time":"2025-09-18T03:30:41+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-10-02T00:36:01+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1600,"height":896,"url":"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/scam-alert.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Jennifer Mertens","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jennifer Mertens","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/possible-trade-mark-scam-alert\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/possible-trade-mark-scam-alert\/"},"author":{"name":"Jennifer Mertens","@id":"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/#\/schema\/person\/64e4a40a49fe981aaa979bfd660eb636"},"headline":"Possible trade mark scam alert!","datePublished":"2025-09-18T03:30:41+00:00","dateModified":"2025-10-02T00:36:01+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/possible-trade-mark-scam-alert\/"},"wordCount":974,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/possible-trade-mark-scam-alert\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/scam-alert.jpg","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-NZ"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/possible-trade-mark-scam-alert\/","url":"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/possible-trade-mark-scam-alert\/","name":"Possible trade mark scam alert! - James & Wells","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/possible-trade-mark-scam-alert\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/possible-trade-mark-scam-alert\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/scam-alert.jpg","datePublished":"2025-09-18T03:30:41+00:00","dateModified":"2025-10-02T00:36:01+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/#\/schema\/person\/64e4a40a49fe981aaa979bfd660eb636"},"description":"Scam Alert! Unsolicited trade mark application emails are circulating. Sept 2025.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/possible-trade-mark-scam-alert\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-NZ","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/possible-trade-mark-scam-alert\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-NZ","@id":"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/possible-trade-mark-scam-alert\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/scam-alert.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/scam-alert.jpg","width":1600,"height":896},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/possible-trade-mark-scam-alert\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Possible trade mark scam alert!"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/","name":"James & Wells","description":"Excellence in IP","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-NZ"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/#\/schema\/person\/64e4a40a49fe981aaa979bfd660eb636","name":"Jennifer Mertens"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7942"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7942\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7996,"href":"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7942\/revisions\/7996"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7943"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jamesandwells.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}