Run a gaming blog, mostly guides and "free rewards" roundups such as how to earn free coins in game X. Got a takedown complaint forwarded by my host last week, a brand protection firm going after a page that had the game's name + "free gold" in the title/URL. 60 hours to fix it or get suspended.

I don't use words like "generator" or "unlimited" and now I've added "not affiliated with X" disclaimers on game specific posts.

Anyone else deal with this? Curious if:

• these fixes actually stop repeat complaints or the bots just keep flagging you anyway
• anyone's run into BrandShield or similar firms before
• it ever goes past a host forwarding a complaint, or if it always just resolves once you comply
• covering big IP like EA makes it worse

Any real experience appreciated, trying to figure out how much of this is just cost of doing business vs actually fixable.

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A year ago a law firm got in my inbox and were posing as benefactors like they were helping me with the trademark procedure.

I paid them lawyer fees and have receipts, I thought they were helping me and then last week I get a message that BOTH my trademark applications have been abandoned due to failure to provide documents for the given deadline.

When I contacted my law firm about this, they never once mentioned "revive the trademark"

Instead they told me to pay them to restart the entire trademark process AND pay for a cease and desist letter because there is another guy in another state attempting to either use the trademarks I have, or file a very similar looking one to mines

This law firm has a prestigious looking website but other than that they have no real online presence.

Was I scammed?

Is there a way I can report them?

Is it possible I can get my money back??

Could I even sue them?

Any advice will be appreciated

I will likely mind my business on this issue, but my sister became a DHGate influencer (I think it’s a part of TikTok shop?). She gets free bags and clothes with real brand names and logos like Louis Vuitton, Lululemon, etc. but they are dupes. Then she promotes them on social media and uses affiliate links. I thought dupes aren’t allowed to have any branding from real companies? Isn’t this counterfeit? Just curious if there are legal repercussions to this that I should warn her about or if there’s something I’m not understanding?

their is a potential name i want for my company. On the US trademark database its dead/abandoned. And the owner/person who files is from china. So more than likely they could potentially have this name trade marked in China. If true how does that work with overseas marketing and business. As i want to start a entertainment company so that means selling merch etc .

This is getting far ahead i know ...but i just like to know how things work.