If you're running a business outside the U.S. and looking to protect your brand here, heads up: the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has tightened the rules, and a lot of international applicants are finding themselves caught off guard.
Over the past few years, the USPTO has seen a big spike in foreign trademark filings — especially from fast-growing e-commerce businesses and overseas startups. Unfortunately, not all of those applications were on the up and up. Fake product photos, shady filing services, and misused attorney credentials became a real problem. So now? The USPTO is pushing back — hard.
Let’s break down what’s happening, and more importantly, what you should do if you're an international entrepreneur trying to register a trademark in the U.S. in 2025.
