(Patent Marketing Company and Scam Prevention forward here)

Invention Promotion Company or Patent Marketing Company refers to a type of business or scheme that operates on the fringes of the intellectual property industry. Virtually all of these operations target independent inventors and businesses who are new to invention and intellectual property. Historically, the United States Legislature and Department of Commerce (USDOC) has feuded with these companies to defend open innovation in the US. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) are the key policing agencies within the USDOC. With the signing of the America Invents Act in 2011, many invention promotion companies began dealing with intellectual properties, giving rise to patent marketing schemes and 'quick-file' patent pending schemes.

Background

Invention is one of the driving forces of the United States economy. The United States Constitution grants the United States Legislature the power to legally protect innovation in the US. Like any lucrative and important industry, bottom-feeders have always been a part of the intellectual property and invention business. As laws make patents more accessible to independent inventors, invention promotion and patent marketing schemes have found a permanent stronghold on the edges of the industry. In 1999, the Legislature passed the American Inventors Protection Act (AIPA) in direct response to these companies, laying out specific limits to how they can do business. Since that time, government action has closed or fined dozens of underhanded businesses. With the passage of the AIA in 2011, many invention promotion schemes have morphed to include patents in their trading names or product lineup. Ironically, these companies often operate by offering knockoffs of legitimate research or legal work. These profit schemes prey on first-time patent filers that have never seen this work done properly, but businesses considering licensing and intellectual property will likely reject concepts with shortcuts hidden in their legal work and research. The latest tactics used by patent marketing schemes are sophisticated, but the invention promotion/patent marketing industry is showing far slower growth than the legitimate intellectual property field.

For Independent Inventors

At one time, there was nowhere else for an independent inventor to go. There was the invention promotion industry or the tremendous cost of going it on your own. In the last few years, inventors have been able to take advantage of abundant information about how to handle and protect inventions the right way. The best way to protect a project (and yourself) is to work with impartial or unbiased resources, but the costs of independently contracting researchers and attorneys are typically higher than the industry standard. Recently, technology has advanced enough to organize the buying power of hundreds of independent inventors at once. The result is that the average inventor can share the same advantages that big businesses have, without the risk of working with a patent marketing scheme. Not only are there savings on research and patent costs, but impartial resources are used 100% of the time. Of course, many invention promotion companies have hitchhiked on the boom in patents and innovation. Get familiar with the basics of the patent process. Watch out for patent marketing operations offering patent pending schemes.

Patent Services USA

Most companies and patent attorneys in the intellectual property industry are plugged into the giants in corporate America. Big businesses file, hold and trade billions of dollars in intellectual property. Patent Services has taken a different angle. Through our patent clearinghouse technology, we've set out to bring group leverage buying to the patent field. Our specialty is helping independent inventors and small businesses break into the invention industry without getting tangled up in traditional patent marketing schemes. We complete our patent work through a network of experienced attorneys. We took the same approach to fill the role of patent marketing or invention promotion companies. As a result, we work with an affiliate licensing company that has agreed to work with our clients on 100% contingency. This modern approach eliminates the traditional high-risk patent marketing scheme where inventors pay the patent marketing agency up front for patent help or marketing. Knowledge is what makes the patent process run smoothly for independents, especially when making a first patent filing. We've established a screening process that acts as a great entry point to the intellectual property field, and requires no cost. Start with our statement of non-disclosure and confidential submission form here.