Agreed, this doesn't surprise me at all these days. Even my dad has Google Alerts set up for his name, so I'd expect it to be pretty much a guaranteed given that most companies would have it set up for their trademarks.

You might be right about the use of Google Alters subscriptions, but there are actually a number of trademark enforcement (brand protection) companies out there.

In regards to turnaround time, more interesting than the "how?" question is the "who?" question.

> Net Promoter, Net Promoter Score, and NPS are trademarks of Satmetrix Systems, Inc., Bain & Company, Inc., and Fred Reichheld.

The "Bain & Company, Inc." implies political motivations in closely watching and protecting the assets of Mit Romney during his campaign. Even if Romney is no longer involved with Bain, the current executives at Bain are most likely on high alert.