National Inventor Fraud Center, Inc.
Educating Inventors Since 1998

Good Guys

  Inventor Groups
  Invention Shows

Inventor First Steps

Patent Protection

Profiting From Your Idea

How To License Your Patent

Hiring A Service Provider


National Inventor Fraud Center, Inc.

DISCLAIMER:  The following hyper-links to third-party web sites are provided merely as a courtesy to the visitors of our web site and have not been thoroughly reviewed by us.  We do not: (1) endorse any of the views expressed upon these web sites, (2) endorse or guarantee any of the products/services provided, or (3) guarantee the accuracy of any information contained upon these sites.  Do not rely solely upon a company's listing here as a Good Guy.  Only you can determine whether a company is reputable or not.  You should thoroughly investigate any company prior to working with them.  You should make your decision to work with a company based upon the gathering of information from various resources, not just this web site.

    

  1. General Inventor Information: Inventor groups, shows & general information.
  2. Fighting Inventor Fraud: Web sites and statutes against inventor fraud.
  3. Patent Information: Free patent searches, patent offices & law firms.
  4. Profiting From Your Idea: Invention evaluations, marketers & venture capital.

 

      

    National Invention Shows
    (See also "Trade Shows" below)

  • Minnesota Inventors Congress - Provides year-round information to inventors and hosts an annual invention show (Tel: 800-INVENT-1).

 

  

    Other Web Sites for Inventors

  • Ask The Inventors - Informative web site for inventors regarding the invention process.
  • ByKidsForKids - Provides Free resources to help kid inventors grades K-12 develop, patent and market their innovations.
  • The Entrepreneur Network - Ed Zimmer helps Midwest inventors and entrepreneurs through information and connections.
  • European Intellectual Property Association - A European organization that represents over 100 non-governmental and other not-for-profit organizations interested in protection the intellectual property of all Europeans.
  • Gadget Nation - A website associated with the book, Gadget Nation by Steve Greenberg, where inventors can meet, blog, and share the invention experience.
  • General Patent Corporation - Information relating to IP portfolio management, patent licensing and enforcement, and domestic/international technology transfer.
  • InventNet - A comprehensive resource for inventors at all stages.
  • InventNet Community - An informational forum that brings together independent inventors, patenting professionals, marketing specialists, and business experts.
  • Inventors Digest - A magazine that has useful articles for inventors.
  • National Inventors Hall of Fame - Information for inventors.
  • Minnesota Inventors Congress - Provides year-round information to inventors and hosts an annual invention show.
  • Patent Cafe - invention assessments, bookstore, articles, and keyword searchable resources for inventors (K-12 and adult) and patent pros.
  • PatentCalculator.com - Website by Neustel Law Offices, LTD that allows users to calculate patent expiration dates and maintenance fee dates.
  • Patently Absurd! - Absurd, weird and wacky patents mainly from the UK patent office.
  • Product Coach - Learn the step-by-step procedures to get your invention to market. Free tips, articles, booklets, seminars, coaching.
  • USPTO Independent Inventor Resources - A wealth of information by the USPTO for inventors.
  • Virtual USPTO (www.vuspto.com) - Website developed by Neustel Law Offices, LTD that provides quick links to commonly used pages of the USPTO website.

   

    Reporting Inventor Fraud

  • Inventors Awareness Center - Another great resource for inventors who have been taken advantage of by unscrupulous invention promotion companies.
  • USPTO Complaint Form - Inventors can now file complaints with the USPTO against invention promoters (Acrobat Reader Required).

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    State Laws Against Inventor Fraud

    California - Iowa - Kansas - Minnesota (Change in August 2001!) - Missouri - Nebraska - North Dakota - Ohio - Oklahoma - Texas - Virginia

     

    First Amendment Rights & Anti-SLAPP

  • ACLU - The official website of the American Civil Liberties Union.

  • California Anti-SLAPP Project - General information on Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (i.e. SLAPP lawsuits).

  • Chilling Effects - A joint project of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Harvard, Stanford, Berkeley, University of San Francisco, and University of Maine law school clinics to help you understand the protections that the First Amendment and intellectual property laws give to your online activities.

  • The Anti-SLAPP Resource Center - Information on how to handle a SLAPP lawsuit.
        

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    Patent Information

    Patent Searches, Downloads and Tools

  • PatentCalculator.com - Website by Neustel Law Offices, LTD that allows users to calculate patent expiration dates and maintenance fee dates.
  • PatentHunter - Patent image software downloads complete U.S. patent images free of charge.  (Developed by PatentWizard, LLC which is owned by Neustel Law Offices, LTD).
  • USPTO Database - Free full text searchable back to 1976 (images).
  • U.S. Patent & Trademark Depositories - A complete listing of U.S. patent and trademark depositories.
  • SurfIP.com - Free online search of United States and foreign patents.
  • Australia
  • Canada
  • European  

  

    Patent Infringement

  • Neustel Law Offices, LTD - Perform patentability searches and prepare patent applications for inventors and businesses (owner of NIFC).
  • General Patent Corporation - IP management firm offering IP portfolio management, patent licensing and enforcement, and domestic/international technology transfer (Tel: 845-368-4000).
  • Intellectual Property Management Group - Technology broker puts together a team to fund, litigate, and license infringed patents.  Infringers must be large corporations.  Potential damages, royalties and markets must be in the millions of dollars.

    •  

    Patent Valuation

  • Patent Value Predictor - Combines patent and financial data to help individuals/companies make informed financial decisions.

    •     

    Marketing Your Invention

    Invention Marketability Evaluations

    Neustel Law Offices, LTD is proud to announce that it is working with the North Dakota State University College of Business to provide affordable marketability evaluations to independent inventors.

    Marketability Evaluations By:

  • AZtech, Inc. - Provides market research services on a fee for service basis (Tel: 716-836-0822 x187). 
  • Creative Group Marketing - Evaluate toys, games and other children products for a $95 evaluation fee (Tel: 203-359-3500).
  • Excel Development Group - They charge between a $95 to $200 evaluation fee (Tel: 612-374-3233).
  • Harvey Reese & Associates - Evaluates inventions for a $125 fee (Tel: 215-629-1593). 
  • Innovative Consulting Group, Inc.  - Free initial ½ hr. evaluation.  Written opinion of marketability $195.00. (Tel: 303-980-5567)
  • Inventor Services.com - Evaluate inventions for a $125 fee (Tel: 248-650-0083).
  • Lambert & Lambert - Evaluate inventions for a flat-fee of $150.
  • Marra Design Associates - Evaluate toys and games for a $95 evaluation fee (Tel: 952-937-8141).
  • McPherson Partners, LLC - They will evaluate your idea for free.
  • Patent Cafe - Software for evaluating your invention for $69.  A personal analysis of your invention for a higher fee (Tel: 530-673-9430).
  • NewFuntiers - Marketability evaluation of toys, games, gift & baby products for a fee of $100 (Tel: 800-846-0701).
  • Sterling Frazer Associates - Provides marketing information for your product at a low cost.
  • Ultra-Research, Inc. - John G. Rau provides market research and evaluation services for inventions on an hourly rate (Tel: 714-281-0150).
  • World Innovation Network (previously Wal-Mart Innovation Network) - Provides an objective third party analysis for a fee of $175 for all types of products (Tel: 417-836-5671).
  • Wisconsin Innovation Service Center -  Technical and market assessments of new product and service ideas for $495 (Tel: 414-472-1365).

        

Inventor Agents - Aging Related Inventions

    

Inventor Agents - Fashion Inventions

  • Accessory Brainstorms - A sales, licensing and consulting firm that specializes in fashion accessories, beauty and lifestyle inventions.

   

Inventor Agents - Medical Inventions

  • Nicholas J. Webb, Consulting Group - Provides consulting services to medical product and technology inventors. Mr. Webb can also assist inventors in manufacturing their products through Nupak Medical.

  • Sylmark - A marketing company that takes products and ideas to mass-market with no cost to the inventor! 

   

Inventor Agents - Toy & Game Inventions

  • Anjar Co. - This company is looking strictly for toys and games to market (Tel: 212-255-4720).

  • Ayers Concepts - David B. Ayers acts as an agent for other toy and game inventors for presenting products to the toy and game industry (Tel: 713-721-4790).

  • ByKidsForKids - Provides Free resources to help kid inventors grades K-12 develop, patent and market their innovations. (Tel: 203-321-2155)

  • Creative Group Marketing - They work with children products such as toys and games (Tel: 203-359-3500).  

  • Discover Games - Seeking toys and games.  Resource for inventors to show their products to game retailers, game manufacturers and licensors.

  • Excel Development Group - They charge between a $95 to $200 evaluation fee.  If they like your invention they will market it based upon a percentage (Tel: 612-374-3233).

  • Harvey Reese & Associates - Provide marketing, licensing and product development services for inventors (Tel: 215-629-1593).

  • Marra Design Associates - They market toys and games solely upon a percentage with no up-front fees if they like your idea (Tel: 952-937-8141).

  • NewFuntiers - Specializing in toys, games, gift & baby products.  They can help you license your idea to their manufacturing clients (Tel: 800-846-0701).

  • RoyaltyPros Licensing - $99 review fee. Established agency listed on Hasbro, Fisher-Price and other toy companies “authorized agents” list. (Tel: 212-366-6876)

    

    Inventor Agents - General Inventions

  • ByKidsForKids - Provides Free resources to help kid inventors grades K-12 develop, patent and market their innovations. (Tel: 203-321-2155)
  • Docie Marketing - Work on a sliding contingency/fee schedule (Tel: 740-594-5200).  
  • Innovative Consulting Group, Inc. - Free ½ hour initial consultation.  Hourly, project and performance based fee structures.  New product launches, development, product evaluation, test markets and/or license broker.  (Tel: 303-980-5567)
  • Inventors HQ & Inventors Mentoring Services - Two companies that help inventors with reduced fees by using a free mentoring service.
  • Lambert & Lambert - Evaluate inventions for a flat-fee of $150 and work on a percentage thereafter.
  • Marti Elder LLC - Guides inventors and start up companies through the complexities of getting an idea into commercial markets. No charge for an initial consultation. (Tel: 409-586-7621)
  • McPherson Partners, LLC - They will evaluate your idea for free and will market it solely for a percentage without up-front fees.
  • Out of the Blue - Fees typically less than $5,000 for invention marketing services  (Tel: 877-700-2583).
  • Pelham West Associates. - Product scouts for client companies who also work
    with inventors deciding whether to license the product or bring it to
    market themselves.
  • Product Resultants, Inc. - License, purchase or broker, selected patented products, formulas and innovations.
  • ThinkUSA - Murray Ansell links markets and technology world-wide (Tel: 818-247-2698).
  • Solve-It! Marketing - Establishes distribution for new products on a percentage basis and locates licensees for patented inventions (Tel: 408-947-0145).
  • RoyaltyPros Licensing - $99 review fee. Experienced in placing product with companies looking for innovative technologies.
    (Tel: 212-366-6876    )

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    Product Development & Prototyping

  • Concept Solutions - Provide product development and finished prototyping services.  (Tel: 319-248-9637)
  • Creative Group Marketing - They work with toys and games (Tel: 203-359-3500).
  • E-Lab Digital Engineering - Specializes in microprocessor based circuitry, software creation, PCB layout and final design manufacturing (Tel: 816-257-9954). 
  • Harrington Product Development - 3D prototyping and related technologies (Tel: 513-482-4700).
  • Marra Design Associates - Provide product development and prototyping services related to toys and games (Tel: 612-937-8141).
  • NewFuntiers - Specializing in toys, games, gift & baby products.  They can assist you with graphic and product design, prototype models, and licensing your ideas (Tel: 800-846-0701).
  • ProtoSew - A sample manufacturing company that for a single charge of only $350.00 for most items will custom sew one to ten samples of your product to your specifications (Tel: 714-536-6438).
  • T2 Design - Assist inventors with product design, prototyping and product placement (Tel: 310-656-9922).  
  • Lassen Scientific, Inc. - A full service product design, development and channel management company. Services include: Product design, prototyping with 3D printing and 4 axis milling, we also provide China outsourcing and market planning. (Tel: 530-244-6686)
  • ProtoVenture - Providing photo-realistic virtual proto-types, aesthetic design, websites, and branding. 

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    Companies Seeking New Products

  • Companies Seeking Products - A complete listing of companies actively seeking new products from inventors that either are patented or have "patent pending."

  

 

     Press Releases

New Product "Incubators"

  • Amargosa - Searching for innovators full of ideas for dialogs and collaborations. Creativity facilitation services to inventors working on advanced ideas.

  

Internet Resources for Selling Inventions

  

 

Market Data & Statistics


Please suggest a useful inventor site. 

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National Inventor Fraud Center, Inc.
(Owned by Neustel Law Offices, LTD)
2534 South University Drive, Suite No. 4
Fargo, North Dakota  58103

LEGAL DISCLAIMER: This web site provides general information only, not legal advice. You should not act upon this information without independent legal counsel.  You must read and agree to the Terms of Service before viewing this web site.  The NIFC is not associated with any Federal or State government agency.  If you have been harmed by an invention marketing company or patent attorney, you should immediately seek the legal assistance of a reputable attorney licensed in your state.  Michael S. Neustel is licensed to practice law only in North Dakota and in the United States Patent & Trademark Office.  Statements made in this web site are merely opinions of the National Inventor Fraud Center, Inc. and should not be interpreted as factual.  Neither Michael S. Neustel nor the NIFC market inventions, provide market analyses or provide marketability analyses for inventors.  You are strongly encouraged to investigate any company or law firm you plan to work with and do not rely solely upon this web site when selecting a company to work with. Only you can determine if the companies listed on this web site are reputable or not.  Information upon this web site is not for residents of Pennsylvania.

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