Alerts

Warning: Trademark email misusing the name of Andrew Waugh

22 May 2026

An email offering to file a trademark for a UK brand name with the UK Intellectual Property Office, has misused the name of the genuine solicitor Andrew Waugh.

What is the scam?

The SRA has seen an email that was sent to a business, misusing the name of a genuine solicitor (see below).

The email informs the recipients that a third party has approached the sender to register the UK brand name of the recipient's business, seeking exclusive rights to their brand name. The email invites the recipient to secure trademark registration of their brand name first and offers to assist with this process.

The email correspondence seen by the SRA misuses the name of a genuine solicitor. The correspondence seen was sent from the email address 'andrew.waugh@crownmarks.uk' and had a signatory of Andrew Waugh, Intellectual Property Lawyer. It displays the organisation name 'Crown Mark', telephone number 020 4600 6556, website www.crownmark.uk and postal address 3 Bloomsbury Place, Greater London, WC1A 2QA, UK

The SRA does not authorise or regulate a firm of solicitors with the name 'Crown Mark'.

Any business or transaction through the above contact details is not undertaken by a firm or solicitor authorised and regulated by the SRA.

Is there a genuine firm or person?

The SRA authorises and regulates a genuine solicitor called Andrew Waugh (SRA ID 169098).

The genuine solicitor Andrew Waugh has confirmed that he does not have any connection to the email mentioned in above alert.

What should I do?

When a firm's or individual's identity has been copied exactly (or cloned), due diligence is necessary. If you receive correspondence claiming to be from the above firm(s) or individual(s), or information of a similar nature to that described, you should conduct your own due diligence by checking the authenticity of the correspondence by contacting the law firm directly by reliable and established means. You can contact the SRA to find out if individuals or firms are regulated and authorised by the SRA and verify an individual's or firm's practising details. Other verification methods, such as checking public records (e.g. telephone directories and company records) may be required in other circumstances.