# Reward for reporting trademark infringement? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 10, 2015, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reward-for-reporting-trademark-infringement/737197 "2015-11-10T15:49:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reward-for-reporting-trademark-infringement/737197/1 "2015-11-10T15:49:10Z")
In the USA, if you report trademark infringement, is there a reward? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reward-for-reporting-trademark-infringement/737197/2 "2015-11-10T16:21:17Z")
No, unless the trademark holder decides to thank you. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reward-for-reporting-trademark-infringement/737197/3 "2015-11-10T16:26:15Z")
There are services that are paid to find trademark violations. They might get paid on a per violation found basis. But if you just tell the trademark owner about the violation they have no obligation to give you anything. Only the trademark owner has an interest in maintaining a trademark, ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reward-for-reporting-trademark-infringement/737197/4 "2015-11-10T16:46:54Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > There are services that are paid to find trademark violations. They might get paid on a per violation found basis. But if you just tell the trademark owner about the violation they have no obligation to give you anything. Only the trademark owner has an interest in maintaining a trademark, What if you went up to the trademark owner and said, “I know someone who is violating your trademark. Pay me $10,000 (or whatever) and I will give you the information I know.”? Would that be considered extortion? My instinct says no, at least as long as you are not the one violating the trademark. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reward-for-reporting-trademark-infringement/737197/5 "2015-11-10T16:52:30Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > What if you went up to the trademark owner and said, “I know someone who is violating your trademark. Pay me $10,000 (or whatever) and I will give you the information I know.”? Would that be considered extortion? My instinct says no, at least as long as you are not the one violating the trademark. Go up to someone and tell them you know who stole from them, and offer to sell them the information? Doesn’t this make you an accessory? ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reward-for-reporting-trademark-infringement/737197/6 "2015-11-10T17:07:02Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Go up to someone and tell them you know who stole from them, and offer to sell them the information? Doesn’t this make you an accessory? Theft is a crime, trademark infringement normally isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reward-for-reporting-trademark-infringement/737197/7 "2015-11-10T17:10:24Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > What if you went up to the trademark owner and said, “I know someone who is violating your trademark. Pay me $10,000 (or whatever) and I will give you the information I know.”? Would that be considered extortion? My instinct says no, at least as long as you are not the one violating the trademark. If it’s a big enough issue for them to be concerned with they’ll find the violator themselves. To violate a trademark you have to do something publicly. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reward-for-reporting-trademark-infringement/737197/8 "2015-11-10T21:28:24Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > If it’s a big enough issue for them to be concerned with they’ll find the violator themselves. To violate a trademark you have to do something publicly. Yes. The major difficulty in finding a trademark or copyright violation is knowing it exists. Once you know that most of the job is done already. So someone saying that he knows the trademark was violated has just given up most of the value of the discovery. ---
**Author:** ![Ornery\_Bob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/da6949/32.png) [@Ornery\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ornery_Bob)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2015, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reward-for-reporting-trademark-infringement/737197/9 "2015-11-10T22:48:37Z")
\*Pay me $10,000 (or whatever) and I will give you the information I know."? Would that be considered extortion? My instinct says no, at least as long as you are not the one violating the trademark. \* It’s not extortion under any circumstances. Extortion is “the practice of obtaining something, especially money, through force or threats.” All you’re really saying to the copyright holder is that you have information he might like to have and you’re willing to sell it to him. Nothing even close to extortion going on there.