Dec

3

The Truth about Inventor Scams: Patent Attorneys

Filed Under Inventing, Inventor Scams | 3 Comments

Many people think that invention submission type companies are the biggest sources for ripping off inventors. But these companies can’t even come close to taking money from inventors at a rate remotely near what inventors waste on patent attorneys to file erroneous, inappropriate, and ineffective patent applications.

Here’s how you get scammed. First you establish a profession of highly paid and powerful lawyers. Then you add a lobbying body like the APLA (American Patent Law Association) to do your gunning for you, both in Washington, and with PR. With this facade of seeming credibility, you publish material and build a case for telling the lowly independent inventors (I’m in this category, too) that the first thing you’d better do is patent your invention before doing anything else. Some go so far as to inappropriately tell the inventor that they are “protected” by the mere filing of a patent application.

Of course the justification for such advice is many fold. Filing a patent application, and thereby establishing your date of priority certainly may be critical; however, with most inventions being in rather small niche markets, this advantage is mostly outweighed by the inherent risk of losing any and all money you spend on patenting and developing your invention. Every inventor’s situation is different; one size doesn’t fit all. As such, should you patent BEFORE spending a little time and money doing some market research? The answer is, normally, and on average, NO. Read more…

Dec

3

Inventors Who Want to Save the Environment – Beware

Filed Under Green Inventions, Inventing | 1 Comment

solar panel

In the early 1980’s, after I successfully commercialized my first invention, a blind spot mirror for vehicles, I decided I would change the direction of my business, and market ideas, patents and technology solely in the “green” categories of saving energy, helping the environment, reducing pollution, etc.

Being a successful inventor, many other inventors would approach me — some of whom had inventions that would save millions of barrels of oil, reduce C02 and other pollutions ten-fold, save energy and in general help the environment, our quality of lives and the planet.

The notion of working for inventors with such idealistic standards was exciting and encouraging.  However, being a neophyte in marketing and only in my 20s, I would have never believed what I was about to learn about marketing energy-saving inventions. Read more…

Dec

3

The Hawaiian Inventors Conference

Filed Under Inventing, Trade Shows and Conferences | Leave a Comment

hawaii

This past summer I was invited to attend the Hawaiian Inventors Conference in Honolulu September 19. I was hosted by the conference organizer and speaker, Daynin Dashefsky. Daynin is a real go-getter and loves to share her experiences of how she was successful commercializing her own invention. She holds conferences like this and has a series of CD’s sharing the process she went through, and the process any budding entrepreneur may need to go through to commercialize their invention, especially if they want to do so on their own, i.e., be an entrepreneur and have their own company for manufacturing, distribution and marketing.

What was somewhat unique about Daynin’s conference, despite the location, which was much more wonderful then most of the inventor conferences that I attend, was the format for the conference. Daynin was the principal conference speaker on Saturday.  Then, on the second day of the conference, all attendees were invited to spend 30-60 minutes interviewing any member of the half-dozen industry experts on various topics pertaining to the commercialization of inventions. Read more…