Latest scam?

Anyone get this one yet? Our dot (also a show artist) got this regarding her website.
What do you make of this? Scam or real?

Thanks.
Carla

[i]From: "Angela" <info@yg-networks.com>
Date: October 15, 2010 9:07:37 PM PDT
To: <mailinglist@dot'swebsite name.com>
Subject: Notice of Intellectual Property-Trademark Name

Dear Manager,

We are a Network Service Company which is the domain name registration center in Shanghai, China. On October,15th,2010, We received HUAXIA Company's application that they are registering the name "dot's website name" as their Internet Trademark and "dot's website name.cn","dot's website name.cn" ,"dot's website name.asia"domain names etc.,It is China and ASIA domain names.But after auditing we found the brand name been used by your company. As the domain name registrar in China, it is our duty to notice you, so I am sending you this Email to check.According to the principle in China,your company is the owner of the trademark,In our auditing time we can keep the domain names safe for you firstly, but our audit period is limited, if you object the third party application these domain names and need to protect the brand in china and Asia by yourself, please let the responsible officer contact us as soon as possible. Thank you!

Kind regards

Angela Zhang

Shanghai Office (Head Office)
Registration Department Manager
3002, Nanhai Building 854.Nandan Road
Xuhui District, Shanghai
Email: info@yg-networks.com

Anhui Office
Office: +86 0553 4994789
Fax: +86 0553 4994789
web: http://yg-networks.com
web: http://www.yg-networks.com
[/i]

I occasionally get them from a variety of countries, some of them want to buy some of my art - "Do you ship to Outer Mongolia?" That sort of thing. Don't open them, just hit "Delete." If you should open one, quickly hit "Delete." I've never gotten a followup from any of those queries.
And for those of you who are enticed into sending digital files (2D artists) to China to get really cheap reproductions, remember this: China does not follow any sort of international copyright laws or rules. So, if they have digital files of yours and someday you see your images at, say, a WalMart, and you don't get a check from anyone for sales of those images, you have no real recourse for legal action (WalMart dedicates up to $1,000,000 to fight an individual law suit). Or if you see your images from China being sold by another "artist" at an art show, good luck with winning that law suit. A friend of mine recently spent over $50,000 and two years suing a copycat. He won, but it will be long time before he gets his money back.

Replies

Connie Mettler October 25, 2010 at 9:11pm

oh yes, I recognize this one. Since I own several domain names I have learned to recognize this. But I can say, I have been on Nandan Road in Shanghai...very cool place, but I did not meet Angela Zhang.
Larry Berman October 25, 2010 at 4:49pm

I've gotten them over the past year for a lot of the names we have registered. I just delete them. They're probably going through the whois data base.

Larry Berman
Digital Jury Services
http://BermanGraphics.com
412-401-8100
- MICHAEL ALAN STIPEK > Larry Berman October 25, 2010 at 5:06pm
  
  I occasionally get them from a variety of countries, some of them want to buy some of my art - "Do you ship to Outer Mongolia?" That sort of thing. Don't open them, just hit "Delete." If you should open one, quickly hit "Delete." I've never gotten a followup from any of those queries.
  And for those of you who are enticed into sending digital files (2D artists) to China to get really cheap reproductions, remember this: China does not follow any sort of international copyright laws or rules. So, if they have digital files of yours and someday you see your images at, say, a WalMart, and you don't get a check from anyone for sales of those images, you have no real recourse for legal action (WalMart dedicates up to $1,000,000 to fight an individual law suit). Or if you see your images from China being sold by another "artist" at an art show, good luck with winning that law suit. A friend of mine recently spent over $50,000 and two years suing a copycat. He won, but it will be long time before he gets his money back.

This reply was deleted.