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--></style></head><body lang="EN-US" link="#467886" vlink="#96607D" style="word-wrap:break-word"><div class="WordSection1"><p class="MsoNormal">Oh great and powerful Brain Trust:</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">We wrote to a client to renew a registration (due in a year, but inspired by the upcoming increase in PTO fees). Client said they\u2019d send payment. Before we renewed, another U.S. attorney had filed and paid the fee for renewal. Disappointed, I wrote to the client. Client said that they didn\u2019t know who the new attorney was, and that client had mailed me a check to do the work. An email to the new attorney semi-bounces back with the following message:</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in">XYZ Law Firm will be away on vacation for the 2024-2025 holiday season. Afterward [the firm] will begin the winding up process. If you have any questions this email will be monitored sparingly but questions will be addressed in time. [The Firm\u2019s] Intellectual Property web services have been faulty since 9/4/2024. If assistance is needed concerning a prior response please call.</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">I\u2019m not sure if the \u201c2024-2025 holiday season\u201d means the entire month of December. A phone call to new attorney\u2019s cell phone doesn\u2019t answer, and \u201cmailbox is full.\u201d I\u2019ve sent a text message, but am not optimistic about getting a response. </p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">So: I guess I\u2019ll send the foregoing to <a href="mailto:TMscam@uspto.gov">TMscam@uspto.gov</a> and, if anyone thinks it\u2019s advisable, to the Post Registration Department. But the curious thing about this hijacking is that the new, unauthorized \u201claw firm\u201d, in the process of taking over the registration, paid the filing fee. Maybe they intend to assign the registration to some other scammer\u2026</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">I welcome your thoughts and suggestions.</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Thanks,</p><p class="MsoNormal">Mark</p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="NL" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">Mark S. Kaufman</span><span lang="NL" style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="NL" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">Kaufman & Kahn, LLP</span><span lang="NL" style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">Email: <a href="mailto:kaufman@kaufmankahn.com"><span style="color:#0563c1">kaufman@kaufmankahn.com</span></a> </span><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"><a href="http://www.kaufmankahn.com/"><span style="color:#0563c1">www.kaufmankahn.com</span></a></span><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"> </span><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">10 Grand Central</span><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">155 East 44<sup>th</sup> Street, 19<sup>th</sup> Floor</span><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">New York, NY 10017</span><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">Mobile: +1 (917) 453-7807</span><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif">Tel.: (212) 293-5556, x 2</span><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Book Antiqua",serif"> </span><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> </span><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><img border="0" width="371" height="51" style="width:3.8645in;height:.5312in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01DB4578.08CD35A0"><span style="mso-ligatures:none"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#1f497d">This email is intended only for the party to whom it is addressed and may contain privileged or confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any use, dissemination or copying of this email is prohibited. If you have received this email in error, kindly notify us immediately, return the email to us, and destroy any electronic or other copies of the email (including any notification to us in your \u201cSent\u201d folder). Thank you in advance for your cooperation and courtesy.</span><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p class="MsoNormal"> </p></div></body></html>