Inventors Assistance League, Inc.

The American Inventors Protection Act or the “Inventors Rights Act of 1999 ” provides protections for inventors who sometimes fall victim to unscrupulous invention promotion companies who take advantage of an inventor’s enthusiasm for a new product or service. They not only urge inventors to patent their ideas or invention but they also make false and exaggerated claims about the market potential of the invention. When all is said and done it turns out that nobody has an interest in developing and marketing the invention and the inventor’s money is wasted. ~~Under the existing law invention promoters must disclose in writing the number of positive and negative evaluations of inventions they have given over a five-year period and disclose their customers’ success in receiving net financial profit and license agreements as a direct result of the invention promotion services.~ ~Customers who are harmed by a failure to make the disclosures or by any false or fraudulent representation by the invention promoter can sue to recover statutory damages of up to $5 000 or actual damages. The court can triple the damages if it finds the violations are intentional or willful. A complaint process has been set up through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO). Under the rules the PTO will forward any complaints it receives to the invention promoters who will have 30 days to respond. For more information visit the PTO’s web site at http://www.uspto.gov.