Running this blog I receive a handful of emails a day from inventors who had hired an invention promotion company and now regret it. Usually these emails include a plea for information regarding how they can get their $5,000/$7,000/$______ back.
I typically limit my advice to a simple response like:
You might ask your fellow inventors if they know of anyone who can help:
Do any of my readers have additional advice/resources I (we) should provide?
Do any of you know of attorneys seeking litigation referrals for such cases, please let me know.
Related posts:
I get those e-mails and phone calls, too, although not quite so many since I put the following note on our “contact us” page:
“- If you are going to tell us you have paid an Invention Marketing Company thousands of dollars , and want to know if you can get your money back, the answer is:
“That would be governed by the contract you signed, and the laws of the state in which you live, or where the IMC is located. Your best bet is to (a) first ask for your money back – you never know; then (b) contact a lawyer in your area, have him or her review the contract, and ask what rights you might have under your state’s laws and the American Inventor Protection Act of 1999. If you feel you have been mistreated by the IMC, consider contacting the Federal Trade Commission and filing a complaint with the US Patent and Trademark Office.”
I also refer such people to our page on IMC’s:
http://www.bpmlegal.com/pinvmktg.html
The well known website for dealing with invention scams.
Read it. All of it.
http://www.inventored.org/scam/
CyberLaw! I am a litigation attorney in Ventura, California who deals with small business IP issues–writing setup or cease and desist letters and suing opponents who victimize small businesses beginning their entree into the tech marketplace. If you have been victimized by an invention promotion company, contact me.